You wrote the earlier assignment, but that does not automatically make it available for a new assessment. Check the applicable course and assessment rules before carrying any part forward. Self-citation does not authorise prohibited reuse. These two cases show how to distinguish a narrow permitted use from a prohibited or unresolved one.
Two courses with explicitly fictional rules
Every course, text and rule in these cases is invented. They do not represent a real institution’s regulations. Use the cases to organise a decision, not as permission for your submission. Your actual rules and the authorised decision about your specific situation remain controlling.
Case A: a limited continuation is expressly provided for
Fictional course A continues an earlier project. Its written assignment rule permits reuse only of the earlier description of the research setting, requires clear identification and a copy of the previous work, and requires a new analysis. The instructor confirms that the specified description from your previously assessed project falls within that rule.
The decision is “this section within these conditions”, not “the old assignment is approved”. Identify the passage, acknowledge the previous work as required and attach the requested copy. Do not also carry forward the earlier analysis or results simply because they fit the topic.
A disclosure for this invented situation might say: “The marked description of the setting comes from my earlier course project and is used within the confirmed assignment conditions. The analysis was developed for this task.” This is an editorial disclosure example, not a complete citation format or a general permission formula.
Case B: the rule prohibits reuse or is unclear
Fictional course B requires a new response and excludes previously assessed passages. Adding a self-citation or replacing a few words does not make the old passage permissible. Develop the new response yourself using sources allowed for the task.
If the rule is unclear, keep the proposed reuse unresolved until it is clarified. A similar assignment title or advice about a different course is insufficient. Record: “Reuse not confirmed; keep out of the submission pending clarification.” Silence is not a confirmed permission.
Ask the smallest useful question
Identify the earlier task, whether it was assessed, the exact section and the proposed purpose. For example: “May I reuse the already assessed description of the setting from my previous project in this task? If so, what scope, acknowledgement and supporting copy are required?” If the regulations require approval beyond the instructor, resolve that requirement too. Share materials only through the permitted course route.
A decision tree for the draft
- Do the applicable rules prohibit the proposed use? Do not reuse it; acknowledgement does not override the prohibition.
- Do they expressly provide for reuse? Check whether your text, assessment history and intended scope fall within the provision.
- Is anything unresolved? Ask the specific question and hold the proposed reuse until the answer is clear.
- Are the conditions confirmed and met? Identify and document only the permitted use. Recheck if the scope changes.
Keep the rule version, confirmation, affected passages and new contribution together. This record is a practical audit, not a substitute for required permission. Check separate conditions for data, figures or published material if your proposed use includes them.
An institutional example and next step
Oxford’s plagiarism guidance, accessed on 1 November 2026, addresses resubmission of previously assessed work under Auto-plagiarism. It identifies exceptions specifically provided for in special course regulations and requires clear referencing of citable published earlier work. This is an institutional example with its own scope, not permission for students elsewhere. Cases A and B are not drawn from that page.
Use the student submission workflow for final preparation. Turnin is an independent pre-submission review brand, not an official Turnitin service. This guide guarantees no score, permission or acceptance of an assessment.