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iThenticate Blog

Read the most up-to-date information on the integrity of the research across industries, publishing in top journals, reputation and much more.

"Why Do It?": Thoughts on Jonah Lehrer and Plagiarism

Posted by Jonathan Bailey on Aug 15, 2012 4:10:00 AM

core plagiarismIn his book, "Imagine," Jonah Lehrer offers up the anecdote of how Dan Wieden--charged with coming up with a Nike campaign ad--coined the phrase "Just Do It" after recalling the last words of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore ("Let's do it").  The recent charges brought up against Lehrer around his fabrication of Dylan comments begs the question of Lehrer, "Why Do It?" 

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Chicago Tribune Terminates Journatic Agreement After Plagiarism Discovery

Posted by David Rothschild on Jul 19, 2012 10:38:00 AM

Plagiarism in journalism is nothing new, but it’s rare that the integrity of a newsroom as large and respected as the Chicago Tribune is questioned. On July 13th, the revered Windy City periodical ended their relationship with Journatic, an outsourced news agency, after discovering that quotes from both the Deerfield Review and Patch.com had been used in Tribune articles in the month of June. In a statement released Friday morning, the Tribune stated that it will now rely on its regular staff and “trusted freelancers” to provide the local news Journatic had been supplying them with.

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Scientific World Journal Takes Action After Thomson Reuters Exclusion

Posted by David Rothschild on Jul 12, 2012 4:10:00 AM

citation self promotionIn 2011, The Scientific World Journal was excluded from the annual Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports for being an accomplice in a ‘citation cartel.’  Phil Davis over at the Scholarly Kitchen first uncovered evidence against the Scientific World Journal for excessive self-citation practices along with two other journals that shared common board members: Cell Transplantation and Medical Science Monitor.

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Renowned Writer Jonah Lehrer Accused of Self-Plagiarism

Posted by Guest Blogger on Jun 22, 2012 10:16:00 AM

duplication-self-plagiarismSelf-plagiarism has been an elusive subject for many. How can one steal material from oneself? Jonah Lehrer is an excellent example of how a writer can fall into this plagiaristic behavior. Mr. Lehrer is a renowned author who has published in Wired, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Magazine, the Guardian, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker. He had recently taken a position of staff writer at the New Yorker (Silverman, 2012).

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Political Plagiarism Continues to be Ammunition for Opposing Parties

Posted by David Rothschild on May 24, 2012 10:04:00 AM

political plagiarismIn this age of political hostility and partisan sniping, it’s difficult to tell which news you hear is accurate and which is merely one side trying to discredit the other. It’s difficult to find a time in US history when two parties have been so far apart in their ideologies. Ammunition for both parties now regularly includes digging up instances of plagiarism from the past to discredit opposing political candidates.  Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren found out recently that old and irrelevant publications could come back to hurt her.

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Alleged Plagiarism Leads to Second IOC Member Resignation

Posted by David Rothschild on Apr 26, 2012 1:59:00 PM

olympics-taekwondo-plagiarismAllegations of plagiarism have struck a second International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, South Korean taekwondo gold medal winner Moon Dae-sung, according to South Korean news agency reports.

In addition to being an IOC member, Moon recently won a seat in parliament during the election and, as a result of the plagiarism accusations, has resigned from the conservative party currently ruling the nation.  If proven, the allegations could lead to Moon losing his IOC membership, igniting concerns that this event may affect the status of taekwondo on an international level, possibly harming its potential to be selected as an Olympic core sport in September 2013.

The allegations of plagiarism relate to the academic work Moon submitted in order to obtain his PhD from Kookmin University in 2007. It is alleged by the university that Moon's doctoral thesis drew heavy from the work of another student. According to the Korea Herald, Moon's thesis was on the subject of “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching and its effects on taekwondo athletes.” The Korea Times reported that the university has found the similarities between Moon's work and that of an unnamed Myongji College student to be far too numerous and deep to accept as being fully legitimate. The full investigation is expected to take three to four months. 

Moon has not admitted to plagiarism. In denying the allegations, he has stated that while he didn't plagiarize in the preparation of his doctorate thesis, he was sloppy in his academic work, making errors in attribution, as well as potentially misunderstanding the guidelines concerning the formal attribution processes associated with citing theoretical work that serves as a foundation for the sort of experimental thesis he was preparing. Moon also stated, according to Korean news agencies, that some of his errors stemmed from being somewhat overwhelmed and exhausted by the dual demands of academics and athletics.

IOC Membership in Peril Due to Plagiarism

Once Kookmin University made the allegations concerning the potentially plagiarized dissertation public, not only did Moon's PhD become threatened, but also his International Olympic Committee membership. If the allegations prove true, then Moon may become the second IOC member to face serious problems due to plagiarism this year. Pal Schmitt, was another IOC member who resigned as the Hungarian president also due to doctorate thesis plagiarism. If the allegations against Moon are proven to be true, then the IOC Ethics Committee is expected to convene to discuss rescinding his membership.

As with former president Scmitt's case, Moon's plagiarism has also caused damage on many levels. It is feared that the plagiarism scandal could hurt the chances of taekwondo being chosen as a core Olympic sport when the committee makes its selections in September 2013. Moon is also experiencing pressure to give up his seat in parliament on top of the problems he is facing with the IOC.

Citations

Hersh, Philip.  "Second plagiarizing IOC member leaves political post."  Chicago Tribune.  April 20th, 2012. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-20/sports/chi-second-plagiarizing-ioc-member-leaves-political-post-20120420_1_ioc-member-plagiarism-pal-schmitt

Associated Press. "SKorean IOC member and lawmaker-elect quits political party over plagiarism allegations." The Washington Post. April 21st, 2012.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/skorean-ioc-member-and-lawmaker-elect-quits-political-party-over-plagiarism-allegations/2012/04/21/gIQAvOdsYT_story.html

Kyu-wook, Oh.  "Plagiarism case embarrasses taekwondo officials." The Korea Herald.  April 24th, 2012. http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120423001045

 

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Professor May Have Plagiarized Student's Paper to Secure Research Grant

Posted by David Rothschild on Apr 18, 2012 11:53:00 AM
Books Research Plagiarism
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Hungarian President Resigns After Plagiarism Accusation

Posted by David Rothschild on Apr 6, 2012 5:00:00 AM

Photo from AFPHungarian President, Pal Schmitt, has officially resigned due to plagiarism accusations. In Monday's vote by Hungary’s parliament, President Schmitt's resignation was accepted by a margin of 338-5. Hungary's Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Victor Orban, will initiate negotiations with the country's other parties to find a successor for President Schmitt.

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Are researchers building their h-index by plagiarizing work?

Posted by David Rothschild on Mar 29, 2012 4:55:00 PM

building research plagiarismThere are various means of measuring a researchers’s level of success in their field of expertise. Tallying the number of published papers is certainly one of them. Counting how many times each of those papers has been cited in credible journals is another. The problem with each of these methods is that, if you look at the cumulative totals of published works or citations, neither is really an accurate depiction of the quality of work being done by one individual or group. It was for that reason that the h-index, a formula that takes both of these factors into account, was developed.

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New Plagiarism Stories That Dig Up The Past

Posted by David Rothschild on Mar 16, 2012 4:34:00 PM

past plagiarismAs with most infractions – intentional plagiarism isn’t often a singular event.  If someone plagiarizes and gets away with it, they are very likely to do it again because no negative reinforcement has emerged to block their actions.  In fact, they are rewarded by their actions because they end up doing less work and getting all the credit for it.

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