Journal of Education and Human Development

Academic Plagiarism: When It Involves Professors
Sylvie Deslauriers, PhD

Abstract
There is no question that plagiarism is wrongdoing. When a professor uses a colleague’s work without citing the source, it is effectively intellectual “theft”. That person is taking property that does not belong to him/her! A professor who has been plagiarized will wonder whether to get him/herself into some kind of process to blow the whistle on one of his/her colleagues. When the work in question is published under the direction of a publisher, the process is simple and straightforward. This is not the case in the absence of such a third party. The route of the professor wishing to file a complaint is not clearly defined because he/she can turn to the accused professor’s professional association, if he/she is a member, to his/her university or, as a last resort, to the courts. Regardless of the whistle-blowing process, the path is difficult, and the personal and social consequences, most often negative, are many for all parties involved. However, for the credibility of the entire scientific community, situations of plagiarism among professors must be brought to light and dealt with objectively.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v13n1a1