EDCI 628: Week 8 Article summaries

Title: International perspectives on plagiarism and considerations for

teaching international trainees.

Introduction
- The article discusses the challenge of plagiarism in the context of international
trainees in US academic research programs.
- It highlights the differences in perceptions and practices regarding plagiarism
between the US and other countries, especially those from which many
international trainees originate.

Background
- A significant number of students in US graduate science programs are
international, with a large portion coming from Asia.
- International trainees often face difficulties with US standards of scholarly
writing and are at a higher risk of committing plagiarism.
- The article explores various factors contributing to the incidence of plagiarism
among international trainees, including cultural differences, lack of formal
misconduct policies in their home countries, and challenges with writing in
English.

Factors Affecting the Incidence of Plagiarism

- **Normalized Plagiarism and Corruption**: In some countries, plagiarism is
common and not considered serious misconduct. This attitude can be linked to
broader issues of corruption in society.
- **Absent and Vague Standards**: Many countries lack clear policies on
plagiarism, making it difficult for international trainees to understand US
expectations.
- **Differing Philosophical Views**: There are different views on knowledge,
authority, and intellectual property across cultures, which can lead to
misunderstandings about plagiarism.
- **Language Barriers**: Non-native English speakers may struggle with
academic writing in English, leading them to inadvertently plagiarize.

Teaching International Trainees to Write

- The article argues that US research-training programs should not only focus on
preventing plagiarism but also on improving international trainees' scientific
writing skills.
- It suggests providing writing labs, formal courses in scientific writing, and
opportunities to practice writing for different purposes.
- The article also recommends introducing trainees to international discussions on
ethics in biomedical publishing to help them understand global standards.

Conclusion
- The article emphasizes the importance of addressing the root causes of plagiarism
among international trainees by focusing on education and acculturation into the
US research environment.
- It calls for a collaborative effort to build an international research community that
upholds high ethical standards in scientific writing and publication.
Title: Five Simple Rules to Avoid Plagiarism

Introduction
- Plagiarism is defined as the act of using someone else's work or one's own
previous publications without proper citation.
- It's a significant issue in the scientific community, often resulting from ignorance
about what constitutes plagiarism.

Background
- The scientific community operates on strict standards of integrity, including how
research is written and published.
- Instances of plagiarism have been increasing, highlighting a need for clear
guidelines and adherence to ethical standards.

Five Simple Rules to Avoid Plagiarism

1. **Don’t Copy**
- Avoid using verbatim text from other sources without proper quotation and
citation.
- Even short quotations require citations; otherwise, it's considered plagiarism.

2. **Write in Your Own Words**

- Express ideas in your original style without relying on the words or style of
others.
- Minimal paraphrasing is acceptable with proper citation, but it's better to avoid
it altogether.

3. **When in Doubt, Cite**

- Excessive citation might indicate over-reliance on others' words, suggesting a
need for more original writing.
- Common knowledge doesn't need citation, but specific concepts and
discussions do.

4. **Don’t Recycle Content**

- Reusing images, figures, tables, or text from previous works without citation is
self-plagiarism.
- Always cite and obtain permission for reused materials, even if they are your
own.

5. **Ask Permission**
 - Obtain permission for using unpublished data or materials created by others.
- This rule also applies to using your own previously published data in new
works.

Discussion
- The article acknowledges the challenges non-native English speakers face,
including a tendency towards "patchwriting."
- Training and guidance are essential for improving writing skills and
understanding of plagiarism.
- The article also references recent plagiarism scandals and the role of plagiarism
detection software, emphasizing the importance of vigilance among authors,
reviewers, and readers.
Title: The doctorate in pieces: a scoping review of research on the PhD thesis
by publication

Introduction
- The article discusses the growing trend of the Thesis by Publication (TBP) in
PhD programs, which involves compiling published articles with an explanatory
narrative as a doctoral thesis.
- It highlights the need to understand the implications of this format for doctoral
education and knowledge production.

Background
- Doctoral education is evolving globally, with changes driven by the knowledge
economy, leading to diversification in doctoral programs and the formats of
doctoral theses.
- Traditional PhD theses were monographs, but there's a shift towards the TBP
format, which is a collection of standalone articles.
- The TBP format varies by institution and discipline, with no consensus on the
required number of texts, their genres, or publication status.

Methods
- The authors conducted a scoping review of literature from 2000 to 2020 to assess
the state of knowledge about the TBP.
- They analyzed 65 studies focusing on the TBP, examining publication trends,
thematic content, and recommendations for practice and further research.

Results
- **Publication Trends**: There's been a significant increase in research on the
TBP, especially from 2016 to 2020. Most studies focus on the prospective TBP and
are published in education-related journals.
- **Thematic Content**: Research on the TBP mainly explores individual
experiences, the thesis text itself, and curricular implications. There's a dominance
of qualitative methods, particularly autoethnography.
- **Recommendations**: Studies recommend developing clearer institutional
policies, TBP-specific pedagogies, and wider adoption of the TBP. They also
highlight areas for future research, including the impact of the TBP on doctoral
education and knowledge production.

Discussion
- The article argues for a shift from focusing on individual experiences to more
conceptual studies that examine the TBP's implications for disciplines and
institutions.
- It suggests that future research should explore critical perspectives on the TBP,
compare it with traditional thesis formats, and include studies from non-English
speaking contexts.
- The authors call for more theoretical engagement and longitudinal studies to
understand the TBP's role in doctoral education and knowledge production better.
Title: Plagiarism detection and prevention: a primer for researchers

Introduction
- Plagiarism is a significant ethical issue in scholarly publications, impacting their
quality, readability, and trustworthiness.
- The article emphasizes the importance of raising awareness among researchers
about plagiarism, including the misuse of words, ideas, and graphics, to prevent
unethical writing practices.

Plagiarism detection and prevention

- Various global editorial associations have issued statements on strategies to
eliminate redundant, stolen, and misleading information from literature.
- A lack of creative thinking and poor academic English skills are major factors
contributing to plagiarism.
- Plagiarism detection software primarily identifies text similarities, but manual
checks are necessary for detecting inappropriate referencing and copyright
violations.

Intellectual theft and global academic competition

- Intellectual theft is increasingly recognized as a serious ethical violation,
especially in countries entering global academic competition.
- Awareness of plagiarism is growing due to international research cooperation and
quality publishing.

Editorial guidance on plagiarism

- Editorial recommendations provide guidance on handling suspected plagiarism
and redundant materials.
- Authors are responsible for ensuring their work does not contain plagiarized
content, and editors may question all co-authors and related authorities in case of
suspicion.

Creative thinking and plagiarism

- Novice non-Anglophone authors, especially those from conservative educational
environments, are more prone to plagiarism due to a lack of training in research
methodology and ethical writing.
- Surveys reveal a high percentage of unawareness and instances of plagiarism
among students and faculty members in various countries.

Instances of plagiarism
- Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional, with the former involving
deliberate unethical acts and the latter often resulting from incorrect paraphrasing
and referencing.
- Different forms of plagiarism include plagiarism of ideas, words (texts), and
images (graphics).

Plagiarism detection
- Authors can avoid plagiarism by mastering academic English, familiarizing
themselves with bibliographic searches, and advancing their graphics designing
skills.
- Anti-plagiarism software, combined with human detection, plays a crucial role in
identifying plagiarism.

Retractions due to plagiarism

- Analyses of retracted articles reveal differences in editorial strategies and
misconduct prevention policies across countries and disciplines.
- The widespread use of anti-plagiarism software has led to numerous retractions
over the past decade.

Conclusions
- Educating authors on accessing and processing literature and mastering academic
English can prevent most instances of modern-day plagiarism.
- Researchers and research managers need to be aware of globally acceptable
writing practices and plagiarism detection and prevention strategies.
- Journal editors should enforce a "trust, but verify" policy by performing
plagiarism checks and inquiring about authors' writing practices.