Stephen Ambrose – famous historian
Doris Kearns-Goodwin – popular historian
Jayson Blair – New York Times reporter
Kaavya Viswanathan – Harvard student / “chick lit” author
William Swanson – Raytheon CEO
Ian McEwan – best-selling novelist
Raj Persaud – famous British psychiatrist
What do these good folks have in common? They have all been charged with plagiarizing their work. These high-profile cases of plagiarism have left many scratching their heads, wondering about the integrity of people who should definitely know better. And now a high-profile case of plagiarism surfaces in Baptist circles.
Paul Negrut is the President of the Romanian Baptist Union as well as a close colleague to many prominent Southern Baptist leaders. He wrote a book in 1999 in which 8 of his 13 chapters were taken virtually word for word from another book written by a seminary professor in California in 1995. The topic of the book?? Get this – Ethics.
I’m a Southern Baptist and a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. The current president of SWBTS, Paige Patterson, has supported Paul Negrut through the ordeal, trying to find a way to explain Negrut’s actions as something other than plagiarism. I appreciate many of the things Patterson has done for the Southern Baptist Convention, including the fact that he helped lead the conservative resurgence in the convention. But when it comes to Negut’s actions, I think Patterson is just plain wrong. Plagiarism is plagiarism--regardless of Negrut’s reported intent to simply “provide readings to Romanian students” and regardless of the reported ill intentions of those who brought the plagiarism to light.
It is no wonder that college students are conflicted about plagiarism. Now we can’t even get some of our religious leaders to call a spade a spade.
How widespread is the problem, really? Nearly 40% of college students admit to plagiarizing at least some portions of research papers from the internet and over 75% say they do not consider copying from the internet to be a serious issue.
Where have we gone wrong? Why is plagiarism no longer considered unethical? Exactly how commonplace is plagiarism at places like CBC? I’d like to hear your take. Students – post anonymously if you’d like, but I would like to hear your thoughts and hear of your experiences.
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15 comments:
I absolutely agree that plagiarism is wrong--especially for a Christian writer--because it is theft and lying at the same time. I also find it alternately troubling and amusing that Dr. Patterson immediately blames the accusers--what a political ploy.
I agree that plagiarism is wrong, but being a college student, I'm not sure that we know where the line is drawn. I believe that most college students believe that you can take someone else's work and change a few words here or there and it become your own. I also don't believe that our public schools are doing their job of teaching the children how to write a paper. I know that I was never taught how to gather research and make my own ideas from it or how to site thoughts. When I began college I had never even heard of the MLA format.
At CBC, I would say that plagiarism is a huge problem. I would even branch out and say that if someone on campus tells you that they have never plagiarized, that they aren't telling you the truth.
Most assignments are viewed as busy work for the students and therefore they are not interested in doing their best work. They are looking for the fastest way to get the paper done.
Just my thoughts.....
I definitely agree that plagiarism is wrong and I think that most people would agree. However, I believe that the problem with plagiarism is not in doing it vs. not doing it, but doing it and not knowing you're doing it. At my high school I was taught MLA format style citations, but we were informed of the other various styles of citation. I also feel like my particular high school did a very good job in teaching me how to write a research paper and my teachers did a great job at teaching us not to plagiarize. They stressed the importance of not plagiarizing even though it was a publice school.
However, I think that even though teachers stress the importance of not plagiarizing, they only talk about copying and pasting as plagiarizing or typing up word for word quotes without a citation as plagiarism. They tell you to sum up an idea and it is okay, not sum up an idea and cite it. The only real citations they ask for is direct citation and then if you're paying really close attention (lucky for me I was one of the few who did)you discover that you need to cite when you sum up an idea in a paper. I do not think that Christians, especially ones in such high positions in seminaries and church leaders should justify plagiarism. Rather, they should be defining what plagiarism really is.
At CBC I think the professors are more aware of plagiarism than the students and that is why it is so much of a problem to them and it is not to us students. At least, it is not in my circle of friends. I hope that if this is as big of a problem at CBC as many have said, that we can figure out who is knowingly plagiarizing and who just needs to be taught. Either way, plagiarism is wrong and I hope that people can learn how to use other peoples' work effectively without plagiarizing it.
There are many ways around plagiarism. Honestly most teachers/profs don't really check that closely. And if they see a decent number of foot or end notes they tend to skim over and assume the paper is the student's own work.
Would it surprise you, Dr. New, to know that your own students have turned in work that may or may not have been someone else's, at least the majority of it?
Thanks to all who are reading and participating.
It does not surprise me at all that some of my students plagiarize all or part of their papers. I know that it occurs, and I only catch a fraction of the offenders. I can't spend enormous amounts of time policing papers for plagiarism. I have to trust the majority of my students to be honest in their work.
But I DO catch some. Police officers catch and fine a fraction of speeders to "encourage" others to obey the speed limit. Likewise, I hope that by catching a few plagiarists (and giving the appropriate consequences) I can "encourage" students to be honest.
But that kind of external motivation only goes so far. The far more important question for me is this: WHY do so many students no longer feel like plagiarizing is wrong?
This is good dialogue. Let's keep it going.
I absolutely agree that plagiarism is wrong--especially for a Christian writer--because it is theft and lying at the same time. I also find it alternately troubling and amusing that Dr. Patterson immediately blames the accusers--what a political ploy.
Man, those darn plagiarizers really chap my hide!
This blog is fun, thanks for the link!
I believe that BriBoat just plagarized Henry. HA!
Dr. New,
When students come to college, hopefully they aren't coming here just because their friends are here, or because their parents are forcing them to get their education. Students come to college to further their education, you know this. High School may not have taught them to write an MLA or APA paper, but I think H.S. calls it a 1-3-1 or 1-2-3-2-3-2-3-1. It's a research paper either way you put it. I am not an English teacher, and never want to be. Students come here to learn and if plagiarism was not in their vocabulary before they signed up for school, it sure will be the first day of classes. If cheating on a research paper is how they want to go about getting a grade, then that is their problem because they are shorting themselves out of a great education. Like Dr. Smiley says, "give credit where credit is due." See, I gave him his credit for teaching that in class... You would think that as many times as teachers discuss the whole plagiarism issue that the students would know what to do and what not to do. Paying attention in class is a critical part of learning as well as the work outside of class. The teachers, I think, are not at fault here. I think that if the students are willing to even consider the "copy and paste" method, then they should be willing to take full responsibility when they get caught. Students know it's wrong to take another person's work. Just like it's wrong to take another person's car. The answer is simple, DON'T DO IT. Even if it looks like plagiarism, then they should try to find a different route, or be prepared to defend their findings.
As far as famous writers plagiarizing, it's a shame that we have to see great people fall back to a trap that is very dangerous. If they wanted the full credit, then copying, borrowing, or whatever else they want to call it should not have been done. It only goes to prove that if you want something in life, you have to work hard for it. That includes doing the hard work yourself.
It's difficult for a professor to check that every student has not plagiarized. Therefore, the burden of prevention lies with the student. I think most students feel like if they've changed a few words in a quote or paragraph that it's not plagiarism. They are, of course, wrong. Plagiarism is not JUST copying something word for word. Rather, if a student copies an original idea; or even if they paraphrase too much--it's all considered plagiarism. Taking someone else's work and putting it into your own words is neither legal nor a clear demonstration that a student has understood anything they've written about. Citing ideas, quotes etc. is extremely simple and doesn't take a lot of time.
As a librarian, I find plagiarism absurd. With resources at a student's literal fingertips, its not difficult to find a variety of sources that discuss a subject matter. And hey, if all you can find is one source and you think your only choice is to plagiarize (so you can turn SOMETHING in), visit the library, talk to a librarian and let them help you find additional sources.
(Did you like how I plugged the library there? :)
Good blog, guys!
I found this comment somwhere (author unknown): "Excuses must end before learning can begin." The plagiarizing author needs to admit his error instead of offering excuses. We all seem to be experts at offering excuses-- following Adam's example, I guess.
Sometimes students fail to paraphrase carefully and cite their sources because they have not learned how to do this. I admit that it takes practice to become comfortable with paraphrase rather than simply directly quoting sources.
Teachers can help students learn by giving students pleny of practice on paraphrase and citations. (I hear your moans and groans!)
Teachers can also help students resist the temptation to download a paper by making the assignment criteria very specific.
In my opinion, downloading a paper or duplicating chapters is a more serious offense than failing to properly reword a passage. It is a matter of attitude--we must all be willing to learn.
Plagiarism is wrong but I have no doubt that most students plagiarize knowing what they are doing, others may not realize they are doing it. I don't think I have ever plagirized, if I did, I did not mean to, so to the the person who said that everone has or does, you are wrong. Citing the information found for a paper is too easy to choose to plagirize not to mention lazy.
Attempting to answer your first question "where have we gone wrong?" my sense is that we parents have failed to do everything possible, by whatever means possible, to foster critical thinking in our children. There are a myriad of issues surrounding why we have or haven't (which could be more fodder for your blog) but I believe the bottom line is...not understanding the critical importance of critical thinking.
One of my young grandsons was visitng us recently and he loves to play 'wahoo' (roll the dice...move your marble around the board...get it in the home-row before getting it nocked off by your grandpa who is enthusiastically chasing with his marble). By rolling a 'one' or a 'six' you have an option of continuing to move your marble around the board or place another marble on the board...now moving two..or three..or four..simultaneously. I explained the option (and only the option) to him and at first he just wanted to get the first marble all the way around safely. He did not understand the value of moving multiple marbles because I hadn't told him yet. At the right time in his learning curve (moving the right number spots corresponding to the number on the dice)I stopped the game when he rolled a six and said..."let me show you something". I took a second marble from his 'start-row' and placed it on the board. It just happened to be just a few spots behind my marble. I told him that because he now has this marble on the board, he can chase grandpa and send me packing back to start-row if he can land on my spot. Thats all it took....he got it. Now everytime he rolls a one or a six...I have a critcal thinker on my hands as he tries to figure out whether or not a particular move will allow him to attack or run. Both hands go palms up and forward and he says..."ok, wait grandpa...if I get another one out... I can do this. If I move this other marble then I can do this...but if I do that...then you could do that too. Hmmmm. I think I'll get another one out."
Simple pleasures for a grandpa: teaching a new game...fostering critical thinking in an already extremely gifted, smart, funny, good-looking 4 year old.
Will he apply critical thinking to choosing whether or not to plagiarize...or in choosing his friends...his first girlfriend...his schools...his wife...his job....his political candidates...his church...his Pastor...his house...his giving...his service to God...his ???
He has a mom and dad and grandparents who foster critical thinking by teaching (even indirectly) that there is unbelievable value and reward in thinking rightly. What could happen if every person (teacher) in his life would be direct in helping him learn critical thinking skills? I suspect that he would apply some critical thinking to his assigments as he will have learned early that there is much less value and reward in copying and pasting.
Dr. New
You catch some people who plagiarize? Amazing. Most profs don't even try.
I think that our morality is painted with gray too often. Besides, aren't we taught since childhood to work smarter and not harder? Aren't we conditioned to do things as quickly as possible?
We hit the drive through, order movies online, microwave our popcorn, listen to our books instead of read them, text message instead of call, email instead of write...our lives are lived in the short cut.
Doesn't it make sense that eventually we would blur this line until it is vague enough that we don't feel conviction for doing something that is wrong.
By the way, all of that may or may not have been plagiarized.
Aaron New is my hero. I plagiarized that from Cole Chlouber. Students at CBC, Cole was Aaron's best friend in college. Ask Aaron about Cole sometime.
i honestly enjoy your posting taste, very interesting.
don't give up and also keep creating in all honesty , because it just good worth to look through it.
impatient to read alot more of your own articles, cheers :)
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