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A couple of months ago I had the privilege of serving as a Best of Round judge for Ohio’s Power of the Pen. My partner was Dr. Diana Montague of The University of Findlay. We had a fun and educational day, and read a lot of good writing by the group of eighth graders. Unfortunately, we discovered one piece which had basically been taken out of Sports Illustrated and handwritten onto the worksheet. This created some discussion on the growing problem of plagiarism, and I asked Dr. Montague if she would write something for us for the blog. Welcome, Diana!
Judy
By Diana M. Montague, Ph.D.
Professor of English
The University of Findlay
One day after readers across the globe shelled out more than $140 million for J.K. Rowling’s much-anticipated last words about Harry Potter, I offer a few words (for free, no less) about plagiarism—the problem of stealing others’ words.
Some people who wouldn’t dream of walking out of a bookstore without paying for their copy of “Deathly Hallows” have no compunction about taking others’ words and using them as their own.
Our society gives measurable value to physical property and sets up concrete retribution for taking it (feel free to study the dense Ohio Revised Code for detailed examples). But we rarely address the more difficult concept of valuing intellectual property. Yes, there are laws for copyright violation, but they are not as cut and dried as the laws for stealing material goods (if you get caught shoplifting “Deathly Hallows” you will be punished for stealing the book itself, not the words per se).
Technically, plagiarism is theft of intellectual property. Sometimes it is intentional, sometimes it is out of ignorance or laziness. While I realize there are some cultural differences when it comes to quoting authoritative statements without attribution (see Washington State University’s plagiarism page for an excellent discussion on the many facets of plagiarism), I am convinced that there are two key issues at the core of the plagiarism problem:
1.) our culture’s inability to understand and value intellectual property, and
2.) the technological ease in which that property can be stolen.
Thus, we must make a Herculean effort to teach the worth of words.
When someone writes a story/poem/column/dissertation, the individual words themselves don’t belong to the author but the order in which those words were placed creates an entity that does belong to the author. Some material value may be seen in the pages on which the words are written, but the author’s ordered collection of words constitutes “intellectual property.” In our materialistic culture, that’s not always easy to understand.
Some people think using others’ words is not stealing because “they’re just words”—after all, when you “copy and paste” the original is still in place, the font looking as bright as the day it was first typed. Some see texts as infinitely reusable/interchangeable commodities—“If I copy and paste someone else’s words I haven’t stolen them—I’ve actually created more words!” The fact that the copied passages still remain in their initial sense of place lulls plagiarists into thinking they really haven’t taken anything because the original remains intact.
Those who do not make their living as wordsmiths may not appreciate the egregiousness of inappropriate copying and pasting—in fact, the culprits often think it is an homage to the creator (I have heard lazy students say, “I didn’t paraphrase because I couldn’t say it any better myself!”)
And while copyright-protecting technology (and a few highly publicized law suits) have impressed upon people that it is wrong to electronically take music or movies without payment (or at the very least, proper attribution), the ease in which one can copy and paste text—almost without conscious thought—encourages people to think that it’s always OK to do this.
Plagiarism is not a new problem—people have been stealing or misusing others’ words for centuries. It’s just easier to do now: the most popular shortcut keys on a computer are for cutting, copying and pasting.
I am not old enough to whine that I used to walk to school, 10 miles uphill both ways, in blizzard conditions. (I only walked a block, but it did snow some days.) However I am of an age that “cut, copy and paste” meant it was art day in Sister Angelita’s third grade class, not report writing day. We actually had to copy every word by hand what we heisted directly out of World Book Encyclopedia. None of this [ctrl]A [ctrl]C [ctrl]V on a Wikipedia page for an instant research paper on the history of the Rust Belt—we had to work to be plagiarists in the 1960s.
While I offer that nostalgic example in jest (I really hated third grade), the point is, current technology offers the ability to plagiarize as the path of least resistance (heaven forbid someone reads many sources and then synthesizes), so it is a difficult battle to fight when people don’t take plagiarism seriously. In our ever-increasing world of cyber reliance, we must be vigilant in teaching the value of the intangible so people learn that the concept of stealing isn’t limited to material goods.
It’s not right to steal my book; it’s also not right to steal my words.
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Thanks for this entertaining and informative piece, Diana. It really has become too easy — even if it’s an eighth grader re-writing by hand what he read that week in SI, like in your school days!
by Judy
on July 22nd, 2007 at 7:00 am
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You bring up an important subject, Diana, and you’re right, it’s every writer’s worst nightmare. There was a much-publicized plagiarism scandal in the romance writing community a few years ago that generated some discussion, but I wonder if it’s changed anything. An example . . . a few years ago and writing as Connie Lane, I published a book called “Reinventing Romeo.” It a romantic/suspense/comedy about a billionaire forced to live a “normal” life while he hides from the Mob. Well, not a couple months later, I found a “fan fiction” version of it posted on the Net, an almost-exact telling of my story “written” by someone who argued that she was paying me a compliment because by changing the names of the characters and the setting, she’s paid me a compliment. It took the attorneys from Random House to convince her that she was violating my copyright.
I proposed an article for the “Romance Writers Report,” the magazine published by Romance Writers of America, but I never wrote it. When I contacted other authors whose books I found on the Net in similar fan fiction sites, they refused to believe it.
It’s a sad situation, and I imagine a huge problem in schools.
by Casey
on July 22nd, 2007 at 9:02 am
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If I had read over my previously comment, I would have done a re-write! Fortunately, we are a casual bunch and you all know what I mean!!!
by Casey
on July 22nd, 2007 at 9:05 am
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Thanks for this entertaining and informative piece, Diana. And you’re right, it’s every writer’s worst nightmare. Plagiarism, of course, is not a new problem—people have been stealing or misusing others’ words for centuries. It’s just easier to do now.
Seriously,the entire intellectual property issue is an enourmous challenge for artists of all stripes.
Forty years ago when I was in high school my little rock band recorded a record that went absolutely nowhere. Today some folks out there have packaged it along with other songs that never made it and are selling them online. It would be foolish to go after them. It would cost thousands of dollar to recover pennies. And from a artistic side, it’s neat to think that somebody at last is able to hear the song.
But it is part of the dangerous attitude that the creative stuff out there belongs to everybody and it’s not really stealing, or hurting someone.
Thanks for raising this important topic.
by C.R.
on July 22nd, 2007 at 9:24 am
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Diana,
Well said! I teach high school English, and plagiarism is our constant battle–constant because students continually feign ignorance of the definition of plagiarism and assure us that they had no idea what they were doing. Maybe they were inspired by the president who wanted a definition of “is.” (Or was it “was?”)
In the spirit of non-plagiarism, I’d love to make a copy of this–with your name on it–and show it to my seniors. Would that be all right?
Thanks again for saying it so well.
Julia
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C.R.is correct. It’s not right to steal songs either. Other than a few highly publicized cases ( George Harrison for My Sweet Lord, and Brian Wilson stealing from Chuck Berry on Surfin’ Safari), song writers get away with it all the time. I made it a theme in a book coming out next February ( St. Bart Breakdown). It’s a whole lot easier to steal than it is to create…and a lot of people get away with it.
And while I’m at it, what about the author who proved that they he come up with the names and basic plot that J.K. Rowling used for Harry Potter? He lost his case, and from the press stories I read, it sounded like he had a pretty good one.
DB
by Don
on July 22nd, 2007 at 11:53 am
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i hadn’t heard the Potter story, Don. Fascinating. And let’s face it, there are so many books out there (traditional and e-books), that we could all be victims of plagiarism and not even know it. A scary thought.
by Casey
on July 22nd, 2007 at 1:18 pm
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Good article, Diane. I am curious: How did you and Judy discover the plagarism of Sports Illustrated? I understand there is a program out there to research key phrases. Any ideas on ferreting out the weasels? jinx
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Thanks for the article, Diane. Plagarism isn’t just a problem for the publishing industry. Go to YOU TUBE and watch all those copyright protected network TV shows. And then there’s the music industry, hobbled by the lack of musical talent to be sure, but also hurting from the pirating of MP3’s on the web. Remember the Napster case? How can we hope to instill in children a respect for intellectual property when they can rip off SpongeBob episodes on their computers any time they want?
BTW: I wrote for the Rick Dees radio show for five years… and didn’t know it. Seems Dees had a mole in Cincinnati stealing bits from the Gary Burbank Show and resubmitting them to Dees. Caught him in the act when I heard a bit I wrote for Burbank re-produced on the Rick Dees Top Forty Countdown. Nice. But that’s radio. And what else can you expect from a guy who made his name ripping off Disney with “Disco Duck.”
by Steve Faul
on July 22nd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
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You hit the nail on the head, Steve, by mentioning the fact that we need to instill ethics into our children. It’s not just wrong if you get caught plagiarising, it’s wrong, period. We need to teach our children that stealing is stealing, no matter if it’s music, words, or radio shows.
by Casey
on July 22nd, 2007 at 5:57 pm
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Jinx, we caught the kid plagiarizing from SI by a fluke. I just happened to be reading the SI that came out the week before the contest, and came across the article! I was stunned, seeing what was obviously the “inspiration” for the kid’s essay. It was such a weird coincidence that I read the article and also read the kid’s piece. I informed Diana, and then we told the supervisor of the District. She went through their steps to determine plagiarism (had 3 people not tied to the kid in any way look at both pieces) and they determined it was plagiarism. But, since the kid’s piece didn’t win anything, the only discipline he’ll receive is what his coach chooses to do. So we don’t know if anything happened.
by Judy
on July 22nd, 2007 at 10:31 pm
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Except for intentional cutting and pasting, I think that in some cases students doing research simply forget which passages they captured verbatim. I think it might be helpful to teach them to include in their notes when they’ve quoted or paraphrased, and include all the information they will need to properly attribute. If they are writing or typing their own thoughts that are inspired by reading someone else’s work, they should note that as well. So, when they look back at their notes, they will know where, and to what extent, they need to give the proper credit. This could be the origin of a good habit for any future writing career.
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Julia,
Please feel free to use my plagiarism piece in your English class. I hope it suits your needs!
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Steve,
Good point about YOU TUBE. So many people think, “Hey, my computer/camera/cell phone can easily copy this, so there’s no reason I shouldn’t.”
Historically, the capabilities of technology have been advanced before “rules” have been created on how to use that technology ethically/legally. (Remember the whole “time shifting” debate about video taping television programs?)
As Casey reiterates, the wrongness of stealing–taking anything that belongs to another–should be taught and reinforced as early as possible.
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But……today’s world encourages cheating! ie: Bobby Bonds and the whole steroid thing.
The kids focus on $$ and see how others get it via professional sports right thru to drug dealing. They want the money….and the media glorifies the life style of being a sports super star to dealing drugs (money, women, life style, etc)as I’ve said before, follow the money, you’ll usually find the start of the problem.
If you get to the base of the problem, again look at pro-sports, the punishment is nothing or the start of the get debates….I took steroids to stay competative….you are targeting Bonds because he’s black…and when society and the courts flinch, our kids think….its only cheating if I get caught! And if I get caught, good chance I’ll skate!
Z
by Zorro
on July 25th, 2007 at 11:25 am
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