Text-based plagiarism in scientific publishing: issues, developments and education

Sci Eng Ethics. 2013 Sep;19(3):1241-54. doi: 10.1007/s11948-012-9367-6. Epub 2012 Apr 26.

Abstract

Text-based plagiarism, or copying language from sources, has recently become an issue of growing concern in scientific publishing. Use of CrossCheck (a computational text-matching tool) by journals has sometimes exposed an unexpected amount of textual similarity between submissions and databases of scholarly literature. In this paper I provide an overview of the relevant literature, to examine how journal gatekeepers perceive textual appropriation, and how automated plagiarism-screening tools have been developed to detect text matching, with the technique now available for self-check of manuscripts before submission; I also discuss issues around English as an additional language (EAL) authors and in particular EAL novices being the typical offenders of textual borrowing. The final section of the paper proposes a few educational directions to take in tackling text-based plagiarism, highlighting the roles of the publishing industry, senior authors and English for academic purposes professionals.

MeSH terms

  • Authorship
  • Automation
  • Databases, Factual
  • Humans
  • Language
  • Periodicals as Topic
  • Plagiarism*
  • Publishing / ethics*
  • Science / education
  • Science / ethics*