Plagiarism, Publishing, and the Academy

While plagiarism claims have skyrocketed, the response within academia to scandals among its members has remained ambivalent. While most people are willing to proclaim plagiarism as a serious offence, our actions when confronted with cases among our colleagues often vary considerably. While this has been going on, mergers, tough financial times, and the growing quest for short-term bestsellers have transformed the publishing world, both on a broader scale and within academic publishing in particular. This has created a situation in which the goals of publishers and those of academia with regard to intellectual dishonesty have diverged considerably. Several recent examples are described in which misunderstandings have developed regarding the role publishers play in maintaining scholarly integrity. The author also describes his own experience, in which a publishing company chose an explanation geared more toward its own interests than to that of scholars when handling a report of plagiarism. Calling attention to these events should not be perceived as demonizing publishers and blaming them for misconduct. Rather, uncertainty within the academy makes it easy for those outside it to render academic judgements irrelevant and to set their own policy. Instead, academics should begin a candid discussion on the importance of maintaining or altering plagiarism rules in order to have a stronger and more unified voice capable of more influence on outside parties, whether students, corporations, or media.

Note: No information will be given regarding the identity of the publishing company or the author involved in the incident mentioned.