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Good Scientific and Academic Practice: Avoid Plagiarism

Universities like Philipps-University Marburg are institutions dedicated to the cultivation and development of science and the arts. Their purpose is to fulfil the right to education through research, teaching, study and further education. Plagiarism, i.e. the theft of intellectual property in this context is a problem with which universities are increasingly confronted.

Use of the scholarly work and scientific research of third parties without reference to the original authors in order to gain personal advantage (higher marks, academic degree etc.) is possibly an infringement of current copyright law and certainly a breach of the rules governing correct scientific and academic research.

The following recommendations and tips are intended to raise awareness of the problem and the gravity of plagiarism.

  • What is plagiarism?

    “Plagiarism exists in the following cases:

    1. if somebody uses words, ideas or research results
    2. which can be ascribed to an identifiable author or source
    3. without fully disclosing the reference and the source
    4. in a context where they are presumed to be the original author
    5. in order to gain improved marks or any other advantage which may not necessarily be of a pecuniary nature.”

    [1] Teddi Fishman (2009) cited from D. Weber-Wulff : http://plagiat.htw-berlin.de/ff/definition/1_1/defs

  • Why is plagiarism unacceptable?

    Scholarly and scientific research thrives on discussion, debate and analysis. Proper references to and citation of the work of other scholars and scientists where their work and ideas have been incorporated into one’s own research helps to demonstrate progress in science and the humanities through the achievements of others working in the same field.

    Correct citation and the connections thus established to other publications and research not only facilitate an overview of current research debates and discussions but also provide a clear distinction between one’s own ideas and those of other researchers.

    For those seeking to make their career in scholarly and scientific work, the responsible use and treatment of research results belonging to other scholars is absolutely essential so that their own efforts conform to the highest ethical standards and enable their work to be recognized and valued by expert colleagues in their field of research.

     

  • How is plagiarism discovered?

    There are several ways of tracing plagiarism in student papers and publications. Sometimes the original authors discover that parts of their research work have been misappropriated. It is more frequently the case that examiners are very familiar with the published literature on the subject or discover passages in the text which are stylistically incompatible with the rest of the paper. If doubts about the integrity of the paper or assignment arise, then it is possible to verify these in detail by using the various tools available to detect plagiarism.

  • What happens in cases of proven plagiarism?

    Plagiarism is classified as an attempt to deceive. Students in Bachelor and Master degree courses must expect the examination or graded work to be assessed as “inadequate” according to § 27 of the General Rules governing Examination Regulations of 13 September, 2010. In particularly serious cases the examination committee can bar the student from future examinations.

    If plagiarism is discovered after a Bachelor or Masters degree has been awarded, then the examination grade can be corrected or the whole examination declared “failed” according to § 32 of the General Rules governing Examination Regulations.

    The same also applies to doctorates. According to § 22 of the General Rules governing PhD Regulations of 27 November, 2006, Philipps-University Marburg is entitled to withdraw the doctoral degree if it is discovered that it was obtained through deception or any other serious breach of the rules on scientific and academic research.