What is duplication in the context of software testing?

In software testing, duplication refers to a situation where the same defect, bug, or test case is registered multiple times under different identifiers. This can lead to redundant work, confusion, and difficulties in test management.

For example, if two testers independently find and describe the same bug, two different tickets with the same issue may appear in the bug tracking system. Such duplicates need to be identified and merged to avoid rework and to accurately assess the product quality.

Duplication can also occur in test cases when the same checks are described multiple times, complicating the maintenance and analysis of test documentation.