His first original discovery of a galaxy, M49, a giant elliptical member of the Virgo Cluster, occurred in 1771. (maa.clell.de)
With the discovery of a further «nebula», his third object (globular cluster M3) and his first original discovery, it seems that he undertook a serious scan of the skies for these objects, as they could frequently fool comet discoverers. (maa.clell.de)
If what you are describing is plagiarism, then it isn't just students doing it, it's pretty much everyone except for the 5 % or so of scientists that are responsible for nearly all of the original discoveries. (worthwhile.typepad.com)