iThenticate Blog

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.

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.”

On Monday of last week, veteran journalist Nate Thayer found himself making headlines when he published correspondence between himself and Olga Khazan, an editor at The Atlantic. Khazan had asked Thayer if he would be willing to redraft a 4,200 word article he had published on “Basketball diplomacy” into a 1,200 word article for their site. However, Khazan said that she would not be able to pay for the rewrite and Thayer sternly declined the offer.

The recent plagiarism scandals in Germany have had a common theme: Plagiarism in the dissertation written by the politician.

Jonah Lehrer, best known for a plagiarism and fabrication scandal that ended his once-promising career in science journalism, recently created a controversy when it was revealed that he was paid a $20,000 honorarium to speak at a conference hosted by the Knight Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to innovation in journalism.

It’s been another rough week for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Annette Schavan, a member of Merkel’s cabinet and the Education Minister for the country, has resigned after her Ph.D was revoked following an investigation into her doctoral thesis that found evidence of plagiarism.

There are few accusations and allegations that can haunt a person and their career longer than an allegation of plagiarism. This is partly because plagiarism is seen as a serious  offence, especially in academic, journalism and literary circles. However, it’s also because  the lines between what is and is not plagiarism is frequently blurry and prone to debate.