Broad Perspective on Plagiarism

In the recent past, plagiarism has been in the professional news. Several scientists have had their Ph.D. degrees rescinded due to acts of plagiarism. A German science minister had to resign from her position because of plagiarism 30 years prior. In another case, an academic department in the United States was rocked by multiple incidents of graduate student plagiarism in their theses. Others have lost their positions and their reputations as a result of plagiarism. An interim U.S. senator had to step down from the election process because plagiarized material was found in his master’s thesis.

Plagiarism can have serious consequences to many, including those who publish in technical journals. At the prerogative of a professional journal, a person may lose the right to publish in the journal for a period of years including forever. Some publishers use electronic flags in the paper management systems to identify the names of authors who have appeared to have plagiarized, with the flag used to alert the publishers to more closely scrutinize subsequent paper submittals. These examples illustrate that the consequences of plagiarism can range from embarrassment to career-threatening situations, and of course add to inefficiency in the publishing process.

When discussing plagiarism, the viewpoints of the stakeholders must be recognized. From the perspective of the originator of the material, plagiarism is viewed as stealing. If published materials are plagiarized, the publisher who expended resources to publish the original material may then lose the distinction of being the publisher of the new ideas. This could have effects such as reducing the impact factor of the journal in which the ideas were originally published. Also, the reputation of the journal can be tarnished because of association with a case of plagiarism. The employer and maybe the peers of the plagiarizer may also feel embarrassed. Yet, the damage to the professional reputation of the plagiarizer can be the most serious consequence.

Plagiarism is often simplistically viewed as the failure to use quotation marks when using material penned by others. This view of plagiarism, which originates in precollege education, is really much too narrow from a professional perspective. To understand plagiarism from a professional perspective, a simplified definition may be of use to begin the discussion, but more so to set the stage for gaining a broader perspective on the issue.

To use someone else’s writings or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment.

This definition assumes that the output of another individual is the sole focus. Plagiarism is much broader than this. The previously mentioned definition avoids a more common form of plagiarism, namely forms of self-plagiarism. Therefore, it may be worthwhile considering the different types of plagiarism, as follows:

It should be evident that the lines between these types of plagiarism are not totally objective, which contributes to the vagueness of interpretation. Aspects such as the length of the common material or the extent of the paraphrasing are responsible for the subjectivity of decisions about plagiarism. Also, the significance of the alternatives to the dissemination of knowledge is quite different, but each can have a significant effect on the publication process.

If plagiarism is evaluated from the perspective of a publisher of technical material, the publisher legitimately wants a return on the investment that was made to publish the material. While economics is part of the return on investment, the reputation of both the journal and the publishing organization are also principal factors. Very often, a case of plagiarism is referred to by the name of the journal in which the case occurred rather than the name of the plagiarizer. Instances of plagiarism can damage the reputation of a journal. Any decline in a journal’s reputation has broad consequences, as potential authors may choose to submit their papers elsewhere.

Just as an author wants to be known as the first to author a novel idea, the publisher wants to be publishing original papers that will be cited, thus contributing to the impact factor of the journal. People who serve as reviewers for the journal enter into the issue. Dual-submitted papers will be subject to reviews by both journals, so two sets of reviewers are expending effort to review one idea. It is difficult for all journals to find eminently qualified reviewers, and the number of papers being submitted to journals is rising faster than the increase in the number of qualified reviewers. Given that capable reviewers have limited time to allocate to reviewing, the dual submission may mean that good reviewers decline to review papers for the publisher, thus the reviews are prepared by those who may not have the expertise or be the best qualified to review the paper.

Publishing is an important part of professional culture. Just as the culture of a society changes over time, such as the changes that have accompanied the rapid rise of social media technology, the culture of a profession changes. The culture of professional publishing has evolved and will continue to evolve. Plagiarism is part of the professional culture and the significance of plagiarism is changing. Aspects of plagiarism once not considered a problem are now becoming an issue in the professional culture. For example, boiler-plate plagiarism was once not considered plagiarism, but it is now given more attention. Whereas some types of plagiarism were not a major concern in past generations, as there were few journals and few papers, it is now recognized that plagiarism can have a significant effect on scientific advancement and the reputation of professionals. Thus, publishers may periodically review and revise their practices and policies to reflect the potential impact of plagiarism on their part of the professional culture. Authors need to understand the needs and expectations of both publishers and researchers and modify their research writing practices to be in line with the changing culture of journal publishing.

In accordance with many other journals, the Journal takes plagiarism very seriously. When reviewers point to instances of plagiarism, these are given due consideration. The following are some examples of the stand that the editorial board takes in instances of plagiarism:

Furthermore, when a confirmed case of plagiarism occurs, it is the practice of journals to notify not only the authors but the authors’ employer may also be notified so that appropriate measure can be taken at multiple fronts. A good practice is, when in doubt, give due credit.