Article spinning is a writing technique used to deceitfully create what appears to be new content from pre-existing works.
It is commonly used in on the internet by websites as a method of search engine optimization (SEO) and by students as a form of plagiarism.
Early content produced through automated methods often resulted in articles which were hard or even impossible to read.
However, as article-spinning techniques were refined they became more sophisticated, and can now result in readable articles which, upon cursory review, can appear original.
[citation needed] The problem with simple automatic writing is that it cannot recognize context or grammar in the use of words and phrases.
Poorly-done article spinning can result in unidiomatic phrasing that no human writer would choose.
In academia, article spinning is sometimes used by students as a way to plagiarise other people's work while evading detection from their teachers or automated checking devices such as Turnitin or its IThenticate system.