The phrase "an attempt to duplicate" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing an effort to recreate or reproduce something, whether it be an object, process, or result.
Example: "The scientist made an attempt to duplicate the experiment to verify the results."
Alternatives: "an effort to replicate" or "a try to reproduce".
"There wasn't an attempt to duplicate it.
It's all an attempt to duplicate a fund-raising and publicity gimmick that succeeded in Chicago and elsewhere.
More than 7 million people worldwide use the service in an attempt to duplicate serendipity, the company says.
The Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá looks like an attempt to duplicate Structure B at Tula.
Low Tide Wandering is more like a big, baggy novel than entries in a recondite private diary or an attempt to duplicate the stream of consciousness.
These synthetics have been combined with natural oils to extend supplies, and they have also been blended together in an attempt to duplicate the oils themselves.
That being said, at the risk of descending into a le Carré plot, one has to wonder if Snowden has protected himself against an unwanted attempt to duplicate his documents and digital files.
Blondie's masterpiece is usually held to be 1978's Parallel Lines, while Eat to the Beat, which followed a year later, is considered an inferior attempt to duplicate its arty/trashy perfection.
Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald described the show as "a dreadful attempt to duplicate Grey's Anatomy in a law office".
If the person you are chasing does something truly suicidal, for example jump off a bridge onto a boat, do not attempt to duplicate this unless you are trained at this kind of stuff and are absolutely sure you will be okay.
Steve Martin stars this time around as the man so adept at swindling he marvels, "No wonder they call me a master sergeant". Wisely, Martin, a real pro, makes no attempt to duplicate Silvers' indelible mannerisms.
