Khánh 1

Dương Ngọc Khánh

Vũ Thị Diễm Phúc, M.Sc.

TAN209E(HK1-2324)1.1

20 September 2023

A critical analysis of “Plagiarism in America”

In Stephen Reid’s 2014 book The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, there is an

article by Dudley Erskine Devlin, titled “Plagiarism in America”. The article supports that

thorough supervision and punishments are superior methods of curbing the plagiarism

“epidemic” in the United States.

Dudley E. Devlin appeals to ethos, logos and pathos through various rhetorical elements,

such as evidence, argument structure, language and tone. These elements are utilized to make the

writing more persuasive to the targeted audience, who may consist of students and teachers due

to the container book’s focus on “college writers” and the article’s informal tone.

In my opinion, the text is not successful in convincing students and teachers that

surveillance and punishments are preferable in handling academic piracy.

Firstly, the credibility of the author on the topic may appear questionable. “Plagiarism in

America” begins by presenting Devlin’s credentials as an English teacher at Colorado State

University (CSU) who authors blogs and editorials on a wide range of social topics. Even though

he may encounter some cases of plagiarism in his profession, the problem extends beyond the

English subject and CSU. Additionally, there are no pieces of evidence like scientific articles that
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prove his expertise, merely blogs and editorials. Therefore, this lack of credibility may make

readers question or disregard his arguments from the beginning.

Secondly, the text presents evidence appealing to ethos without adequately defending

their validity. Notably, multiple statistics are cited from sources with small or unknown sample

sizes or even individual case studies, which may not provide the full extent of the situation. For

instance, McCabe’s Education Digest report with 22 schools is cited as representative of the U.S.

as a whole; the University of Central Florida is the sole example for the success of strict

surveillance as a solution. Furthermore, several claims have no evidence at all, including the

ineffectiveness of tutorials for certain demographics and the effectiveness of punitive measures.

The fact that many of the author’s claims are unsupported by data may be a fatal flaw that

dismisses the article’s credibility to the targeted audience, particularly those who think critically

without accepting the arguments unconditionally.

Thirdly, the article has a flawed argument structure in an attempt to appeal to logos. In

paragraph 6, Devlin claims that honor codes and tutorials are ineffective in preventing students

from plagiarizing, whereas the previous paragraph shows 65% fewer cases for students of a

college undergoing a tutorial. In the same paragraph, he claims – without evidence – that

students have a firm grasp on plagiarism and many of their variations. This may not reflect

reality and is therefore a shaky ground to expand his arguments. Additionally, there is no logic

surrounding the necessity of punishments or even expulsion for cheaters. In the final paragraph,

Devlin makes an analogy comparing plagiarism and deaths from drunk driving to reason the

strict monitoring and penalties. However, many readers may fail to see the connection between

the two incidents with drastically different natures, as the author fails to provide further

elaboration. Overall, “Plagiarism in America” is logically inadequate in multiple parts.

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Lastly, the language and tone of the author are ineffective appeals to pathos. Words such

as “excuses” and “blame” and the surrounding tone may be deemed as dismissive of the students,

particularly those who may not be as well-informed on plagiarism as Devlin suggests. Certain

readers may be offended at such a dismissive attitude, and some others may view the writing as

biased and emotionally-charged, reducing the impact of the text.

In conclusion, Devlin’s “Plagiarism in America” contains various flaws in rhetorical

elements appealing to ethos, pathos and logos. Therefore, this article is not effective in

convincing the targeted audience that student plagiarism in the U.S. ought to be solved by

supervision and punishments.

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Works Cited

Devlin, Dudley E. “Plagiarism in America.” The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. 10th

ed., authored by Stephen Reid, 2014.