“The narrative around plagiarism is often extremely simplified: There is a plagiarist and there is a victim. It’s a simple and compelling narrative. There is a bad person that has stolen or lifted from a good person by using their work without the decency of at least giving them proper credit. It’s a visceral and personal kind of theft, one that often feels more akin to identity theft than copyright infringement (which is the most common legal consequence, when there is one). Victims of plagiarism have every right to be angry and upset and society is right to throw support behind them.”
Jonathan Bailey. “The Two Victims of Plagiarism”. PlagiarismToday, 1st August 2019. https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2019/08/01/the-two-victims-of-plagiarism/ Accessed: 17th August 2022
When cases of plagiarism spark attention, the focus is usually on the plagiarist and sometimes on the victim of plagiarism. However, the public, deceived by a false claim of original work, is often left behind in this equation. It is vital to see plagiarism for what it is, who is fooled by someone’s appropriation of the intellectual contributions of another and the gravity of such actions. A plagiarist does not intend to fool the original author of the work or idea. The plagiarist knows it may be caught eventually. It is the general public that the plagiarist makes a fool of. The general public is not the primary author of the text, idea or result. Thus they cannot easily identify plagiarism.
Click here if you want to learn more about the two faces of plagiarism and the importance of acknowledging a problem that persists in academia and research.
● What are your views about plagiarism?
● Do you agree with the claim that the general public is the target for deception in cases of plagiarism?
● What actions should be taken to avoid plagiarism in academia?
● Do you think there should be heavy sanctions for plagiarists?
You are welcome to share your views about this case and engage in a discussion with others.