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Devil Is in the Details
Editor’s Note: Kevin Z. Smith is the President of the Society of Professional Journalists, and a member of the Demand Media editorial advisory board. Having taught journalism at Fairmont State University in West Virginia, and served 18 years on SPJ’s ethics committee, he knows a thing or two about plagiarism. We asked him to discuss the issue in this guest blog post.
Some years ago while teaching a newspaper reporting class, I paused over a student’s paper with an eerie feeling I had read the story before. After a couple more reads, I set it aside, convinced this particular student’s writing was markedly improved and had a familiar sound to it.
The next day, I shared it with my colleagues at the daily newspaper. The entertainment editor, upon immediate glance, said she knew the story. It was hers. Verbatim. Every word, comma and period. The only “original” work contributed was the fictitious people and quotes added to the story.
Over the past 11 years of teaching journalism and English composition courses, I’ve seen hundreds of examples of “re-appropriation of another person’s words.” Talking with colleagues, a conservative estimate tells me that plagiarism takes place in more than half of the student papers we receive. I’d estimate about half of that number is deliberate, while that other half is just uninformed or confused about what constitutes plagiarism. But, as they say in the courthouse, “Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.”
Many universities employ increasingly sophisticated plagiarism software to catch violators. Demand Studios does likewise, and the rise in plagiarized content has many of its editors concerned and baffled. In journalism, plagiarism is a cardinal sin. Pulitzer-prize winners have lost jobs or been demoted because they “lifted” a single sentence or phrase from another writer without attribution. The Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists uses only two words to convey its idea – "Never Plagiarize."
According to "The Penguin Handbook" by Lester Faigley (a must-have text for writers and a staple on every college campus in America), plagiarism is “claiming credit for someone else’s intellectual work …” Sounds simple, but the devil is always in the detail. Writers are becoming more sophisticated in their use of intellectual work. Only lazy and dumb thieves cut and paste anymore. Many resort to changing words periodically within a sentence or paragraph and “refine” it as their own. Still the same crime because plagiarism is about thought theft and not just word theft.
Imagine criminals breaking into a warehouse and stealing cases of handbags and then selling them on the streets. That’s cut-and-paste theft. There is no pretense to how you got them or what you’re doing with them. But, if you steal a designer label, mock it, create it in your own warehouse and sell it in the open Asian markets as a “knock off,” it’s still the same crime. Yes, you put a little more effort into your scam, but you’re still robbing the creator of his or her creation. Coming up with your own design is better and, honestly, as writers, wouldn’t you want to create and own all of your words?
So how to avoid: First, research your topic. It’s the first line of defense. By researching and becoming educated about your topic, you’re less inclined to take someone else’s words. Become an authority for that moment and know your subject. Then put it in your own words and describe it originally.
Second, attribute unoriginal content. Use the authors’ name, and cite the work. Use quotation marks, and give citations. All of these are relatively easy, and they tell your readers that you are using someone else’s work. Get a good writer’s reference book, and keep it handy if you have doubts.
Demand Studios wants work that bears your name to be your best original effort. Write originally, and when you don’t, make sure you attribute “all” and not just parts. Plagiarism has no place in the writing world. Doing so labels you a lazy, ineffective and unimaginative writer. It might also label you unemployable as well.
Some years ago while teaching a newspaper reporting class, I paused over a student’s paper with an eerie feeling I had read the story before. After a couple more reads, I set it aside, convinced this particular student’s writing was markedly improved and had a familiar sound to it.
The next day, I shared it with my colleagues at the daily newspaper. The entertainment editor, upon immediate glance, said she knew the story. It was hers. Verbatim. Every word, comma and period. The only “original” work contributed was the fictitious people and quotes added to the story.
Over the past 11 years of teaching journalism and English composition courses, I’ve seen hundreds of examples of “re-appropriation of another person’s words.” Talking with colleagues, a conservative estimate tells me that plagiarism takes place in more than half of the student papers we receive. I’d estimate about half of that number is deliberate, while that other half is just uninformed or confused about what constitutes plagiarism. But, as they say in the courthouse, “Ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.”
Many universities employ increasingly sophisticated plagiarism software to catch violators. Demand Studios does likewise, and the rise in plagiarized content has many of its editors concerned and baffled. In journalism, plagiarism is a cardinal sin. Pulitzer-prize winners have lost jobs or been demoted because they “lifted” a single sentence or phrase from another writer without attribution. The Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists uses only two words to convey its idea – "Never Plagiarize."
According to "The Penguin Handbook" by Lester Faigley (a must-have text for writers and a staple on every college campus in America), plagiarism is “claiming credit for someone else’s intellectual work …” Sounds simple, but the devil is always in the detail. Writers are becoming more sophisticated in their use of intellectual work. Only lazy and dumb thieves cut and paste anymore. Many resort to changing words periodically within a sentence or paragraph and “refine” it as their own. Still the same crime because plagiarism is about thought theft and not just word theft.
Imagine criminals breaking into a warehouse and stealing cases of handbags and then selling them on the streets. That’s cut-and-paste theft. There is no pretense to how you got them or what you’re doing with them. But, if you steal a designer label, mock it, create it in your own warehouse and sell it in the open Asian markets as a “knock off,” it’s still the same crime. Yes, you put a little more effort into your scam, but you’re still robbing the creator of his or her creation. Coming up with your own design is better and, honestly, as writers, wouldn’t you want to create and own all of your words?
So how to avoid: First, research your topic. It’s the first line of defense. By researching and becoming educated about your topic, you’re less inclined to take someone else’s words. Become an authority for that moment and know your subject. Then put it in your own words and describe it originally.
Second, attribute unoriginal content. Use the authors’ name, and cite the work. Use quotation marks, and give citations. All of these are relatively easy, and they tell your readers that you are using someone else’s work. Get a good writer’s reference book, and keep it handy if you have doubts.
Demand Studios wants work that bears your name to be your best original effort. Write originally, and when you don’t, make sure you attribute “all” and not just parts. Plagiarism has no place in the writing world. Doing so labels you a lazy, ineffective and unimaginative writer. It might also label you unemployable as well.
LewisNash
Jul 29, 3:59 PM
1
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elwedritsche
Jul 29, 4:51 PM
3
The big flaw in demandstudio plagiarism policy is this: Similarity in wording does not always mean that there has been plagiarism. Sometimes I have written something before researching it, and then when I found some expert support, I found that whatI had written was too close to the experts words, so I had to change it somewhat. Sometimes there are only a limited number of ways that something can be said.
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LindaM2
Aug 16, 9:55 AM
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