Plagiarism Checker Blog (21)

Boundless Learning and “Open” Content?

Posted by Guest Blogger on May 9, 2012 1:46:00 PM

copyright infringement textbooks The recent copyright suit brought against startup Boundless Learning by three major textbook publishers, Pearson, Cengage, and Macmillan Higher Ed serves as occasion, yet again, to revisit key themes that surface each time the narrative of education’s disruption by technology – especially via web-based innovations – is rehearsed. The suit came shortly after the announcement of an $8 million investment in Boundless, led by VC-firm, Venrock. Intriguingly, the suit also appears to attack the investors as well, underscoring the business opportunity (and loss thereof) that seems to obtain with any discussion that involves the Internet, new technology, and “disruption.” The second theme that we see is the well-worn “David vs. Goliath” story, and the last is the same story of education’s revolution at the hands of a web-based alternative.

Professor Checks Co-Authored Articles for Plagiarism

Posted by Jessica Gopalakrishnan on May 4, 2012 5:00:00 AM

Featuring: Davinder Malhotra, Professor of Finance at Philadelphia University

Journal Editors Call for Reform in the Face of Increasing Scientific Retractions

Posted by David Rothschild on May 3, 2012 9:26:00 AM

reform journal editors Two years ago, Dr. Ferric C. Fang, editor in chief of Infection and Immunity, discovered that a published author within his journal was guilty of data manipulation. Infection and Immunity responded by retracting the six papers submitted by Naoki Mori; 24 of Mori’s other papers have since been retracted by other scientific journals.

Alleged Plagiarism Leads to Second IOC Member Resignation

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

olympics-taekwondo-plagiarism Allegations 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

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

Posted by David Rothschild on Apr 18, 2012 11:53:00 AM

Copyright Infringement Issues from Pinterest Pinning

Posted by David Rothschild on Apr 11, 2012 3:19:00 PM

From a search engine ranking perspective, social media sites tend to do well because they promote sharing content among users. Pinterest, the newest craze in social media, doesn’t exactly seem to fit into the same mold. Users are more often than not “pinning” images that are not theirs to post, an act that is viewed by many as plagiarism, and potentially seen by stock photography agencies as copyright infringement.

Hungarian President Resigns After Plagiarism Accusation

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

Photo from AFP Hungarian 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.

Top Ranked Business School Checks Reports for Plagiarism

Posted by Jessica Gopalakrishnan on Apr 4, 2012 4:00:00 AM

Featuring: Sheryl Gregson, Manager of Business Systems from The Richard Ivey School of Business

Are researchers building their h-index by plagiarizing work?

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

building research plagiarism There 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.