For researchers, the methods section of a paper presents a unique set of challenges when trying to be original.

When looking at plagiarism in politics, it’s easy to be floored by the spate of recent scandals, especially in Germany and Eastern Europe. It seems as if politician after politician are having their degrees revoked and/or are being forced to resign over plagiarism, often times involving dissertations written decades earlier.

Ten years ago, the journalism world was in upheaval. On May 1, 2003, Jayson Blair, a young reporter at The New York Times, turned in his resignation following allegations of plagiarism made a couple of days earlier. The Times began to deeply investigate Blair’s work and, May 11th, less than two weeks later, released its findings in a mammoth “Correcting the Record” piece.

Pseudo Journals and Fake Banks, What Publishers Can Learn

What would you do if, while reviewing papers written by scholars, you repeatedly found papers to contain around 30% of unattributed, copied work? How would you handle working with these scholars? How would you protect your institution/organization from being associated with such plagiarism? This is a similar situation that Sarah S., subcontractor for USAID, found herself in. Having worked extensively with researchers, particularly from developing countries, Sarah was put to the test to mitigate risks by educating scholars about plagiarism and ethical issues, and using iThenticate plagiarism detection software. Sarah spoke to me about her experiences in this exclusive interview.

A recent article in the Ottawa Citizen highlighted the strange case of Veldon Coburn, a PhD candidate who is also an analyst at Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in Gatineau.

Famed primatologist Jane Goodall was scheduled to release her new book “Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants” on April 30th, however, following a Washington Post article that found a dozen unattributed passages in the book, the book’s publisher, Grand Central, has announced that it is holding the book back until it can “correct any unintentional errors.”