Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with plagiarism

What do I do if my professor plagiarizes my idea?

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:11:25 -0800

I suspect one of my undergraduate professors is writing an article based on an idea I proposed to him last spring that he intends to submit for publication in a literary journal. What should I do? The only proof I have is an email I sent to the professor that details my research into an overlooked (or at least unwritten about) aspect of a specific text and my undercooked insights as to the significance of my findings. I don't have any written responses from him and we only communicated about the idea verbally, in his office. During these conversations, he admitted to me that he had never considered my reading of the text and had never read an article mentioning my findings. Subsequently, he produced some findings of his own, but on their own they were very unremarkable because they mostly augmented what I had already discovered. He presented them during lecture almost parenthetically, with a wink and a sidelong glance in my direction, but he did not discuss my findings or mention I was the catalyst for his insights.

This was not an assignment for class; I never turned anything in that he graded. He was determined to get me to write something with him and submit it to a journal, but I refused because literary studies was my secondary field of study—I have since gone on to graduate school to study in an unrelated field—and I have little desire to see my name in print (if I did, it would be on my own terms, with my coattails free of parasites). Does my reluctance to pursue this give him license to write an article presenting my research as his own? What recourse do I have if I find my ideas in print, under his name, given my limited amount of proof? Would the email I sent him be enough to get a journal to force him to share his byline with me or to print an addendum to the article?

This sounds really familiar...

amicamentis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:56:56 -0800

How do authors ensure that they aren't copying older stories? Is there a process that authors go through when fleshing out (fictional) works? Is this the publisher's responsibility? Do they ask around?

I would imagine that an author would want to know as soon as possible whether or not the plot of his story resembled a film or book already published. And while he or she may know of many works, it's impossible to be familiar with all of them.

For example, if a writer says "I know! I'll write a book about a nerdy journalist who goes back to high school and gets a second chance at love!". Hopefully they have a friend that says, "Dude, that was Never Been Kissed. Try again". But what if they don't? Does this happen often? Is there some sort of "plot database" in existence?

I'm not referring to deliberate parody or spoofs on classic works, more of a general and unintentional similarity.

What does a fiction writer owe his nonfiction sources?

Bookhouse — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:21:14 -0800

Has anyone ever formalized the proper conduct for the fiction writer regarding his/her nonfiction sources? As a fiction writer I enjoy doing research about my subjects, and I also enjoy reading deeply researched fiction. However, it recently occurred to me that I'm not clear what precisely a writer owes his sources (in fact I find the word "owes" problematic from the get-go). Has a fiction writer or researcher ever formally explored this issue?

Aside from the obvious problem of plagiarism (direct copying), is there a line to be crossed, an overusing of sources, a failure to attribute properly? There are times when putting the words of a real person into the mouth of a fictional one is acceptable, but are there times when it isn't?

I'm less interested in legal ramifications than ethical systems of conduct.

What does plagiarism mean in China?

iiniisfree — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:33:33 -0800

Two dudes ripped the first 4 paragraphs out of my published scientific journal article introduction, and submitted it word for word, as their introduction. The 2nd journal (not knowing) asked me to peer review it. They're in China- what are the attitudes/definitions/consequences of plagiarism there? The article was sent to me as part of a blind peer-review process. Either they're incredibly ignorant, or have no idea what they've done is wrong, or both. The article stole > 10 exact phrases, equations, and general approach from 4 other articles of mine/friends/peers. Those articles were eventually cited, but my work has been categorically omitted.

From study overseas, I realize there are different standards, about what is accepted practice/consequence of plagiarism. I really feel for talented researchers who have to write in non-native languages. At the same time, I obsessed over perfecting that introduction for a whole year... I know the healthiest way is to regard the imitation as flattery... but my new sense of 'why bother?!' makes me sad and I've stopped work on my current articles since.

I'm inclined to blame the whole incident on the general phenomena of the internet speeding up search practices, and institutional failure to instill scientific ethics. Maybe they have no idea what they did was wrong, or that it hurts me. Then again, maybe they just don't care.

Can anyone help me understand the concept of plagiarism in China or communist countries? The journal has an anti-plagiarism policy in which I write a grievance to the journal (they take it from there). I need to state how serious I believe this to be. If the accusation is confirmed they can recommend removal/citation of the offending material and resubmission for eventual publication, or they can go so far as to contact the offending author's place of employment and/or funding institution. Respecting the legalities of defamation, the policy also states I may contact the employing/funding institution myself.

I'm pissed off, and exacting revenge is a satisfying thought. But I have no idea the background of these people- do they live in a tiny studio on <4k$ a year? would the breadwinner in a family lose their job? Just by being born in the US is like winning the global livelihood lottery... I feel so fortunate. I know this is not the worst thing that could happen to me, in the scheme of things.

In the longer run, and perhaps more importantly, I'm hoping to figure out now to turn a tide of demoralization- my growing sense that I work super hard on an article and it doesn't change a thing, no one reads them, they just skim them for references when they're publishing their own work. Your suggestions in feeling good about the effort one puts in, in the longer run, despite and in spite of mis-use, would be also appreciated.

Can you plagiarise yourself?

Weng — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:06:15 -0800

Plagiarism?Filter: I consider myself to be scrupulous about attributing the ideas of OTHERS in my academic writing. But what about recycling MY OWN writing - e.g. using, word for word, my own phrases or paragraphs from a previous presentation for a new one aimed at a different audience? Is this standard practice, or frowned upon? (I am referring to unpublished work only here - proposals, informal seminar presentations etc - I would probably avoid this if both pieces were to be published.)

Any thoughts or ideas?

All her own work?

cincinnatus c — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:20:59 -0800

I seem to remember a question from someone who wanted to take a job writing essays for cash-rich brain-poor students, though I cannot find it, where many of the answers expressed concern at the dubious ethics involved. My question is, to what extent are proofreading/editing services for students of ethical concern? To what extent are they permitted by universities. Where is the line drawn? I am currently helping to edit an essay for a friend of mine. She has had a desperate time lately (outside of university) and I am trying to help her not fall apart through getting thrown off her course. If what I am doing is unethical or breaches academic regulations, I am unrepentant, because my care for this friend outweighs these things, but still I am curious to know.

What I am doing is much more than proofreading. English is not her first language, and much of the essay has been written in a state of extreme anxiety. To be honest, at first glance a lot of it looked like pure gibberish, until I worked hard to decipher what she meant. I often work as a proofreader and editor, but I am doing more here than I would normally expect to, and rewriting substantial passages. Because of my work, she will certainly receive a far higher mark than if she had done it completely alone.

However, I have not introduced a single idea into the essay that was not hers. I have not even changed much in the way of technical language/jargon (the essay is for a social science). What I am mostly doing is fixing seriously flawed sentence construction and introducing some fluency to her arguments by adding linking sentences.

My question is, is this acceptable? The university she attends has a page on its website with a list of local proofreading services, so obviously it is acceptable to some extent. But what is that extent?

Does it make a difference that I am physically working on her essay with my own fingers inside a Word document? I wouldn't even consider this question if she were the one at the computer, with me elsewhere in the room, and she asked, "How would you put this?" But that distinction seems absurd. Similarly, if we discussed what she was doing over coffee, and I suggested ideas and approaches that she later used, I would consider that completely fair.

So what would generally be considered to be the ethical and academic guidelines for this kind of thing?

How to "out" a self-plagiarist?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:00:46 -0800

What is the best way to "out" a self-plagiarising quack? I found two scientific journal articles with different titles and slightly different author lists (but the first author is the same on both), both published within the last three months, that have nearly identical (word-for-word) text & figures. I've e-mailed the editors of the journals, but is there any way to get more publicity for this? The paper(s) in question are pseudo-science at best, with major misunderstandings of genetics, embryology and statistics. This is one thing, but the main conclusion of the paper is that the research & work that my lab does is irresponsible and harmful.
Our lab has written a response to a shorter, "letter to the editor" version of these papers before the self-plagiarised papers came out, so I feel that we've somewhat addressed the poor science. But this guy is very prolific (and now I know how) and publishes several reviews and meta-analyses.
Is there any way I can be sure that the editors of these two publications don't hush up the duplicate articles? I want to make sure that other editors are aware of the tactics this guy is using. One of the articles is in a journal that doesn't appear in PubMed, so it might not easily be noticed.
Throwaway e-mail: quackbuster99@gmail.com
(I'll send the articles if you're interested)

illustrating plagiarism

FidelDonson — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:37:47 -0800

Illustrating plagiarism I am making a website about academic plagiarism and need to find some lighthearted ideas for the site illustrations that will sit well with the target users: young university students.

Fx i could juxtapose a real iphone with a cheap knockoff. Or the actual campbell soup with Warhols painting.

Now i just need some more ideas for interesting combinations.

Snitch on a work plagiarist?

ChefQuix — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:51:54 -0800

I work in a small media company, and one of my coworkers came to me to edit a piece of work she had worked on. Long story short, it's completely plagiarized off a (fairly well known) website. Should I report it to her boss? We're a bit of a jack of all trade's company, mostly internet related development. This woman was hired a couple months ago on a contract basis to do photography and copy-writing. She gets along well enough with everyone, and I bear her no ill will, but we've never worked together on anything.

She came to me today with an article about online gaming that she implied that she had written (a lot of 'I was very tired when I wrote this'). After agreeing to look it over, I started reading it closely, and right there in the first paragraph the actual author had made a reference to their website (we here at...). After doing a quick google, I found the article.

So I wrote her a quick email saying that we couldn't use her article, and linked to the original content. She hasn't replied, and I haven't talked to her since (it was at 5pm).

I could be happy with leaving it at that, providing that she never did it again, but I'm not her boss, I can't make sure that any copy that she provides from now on is original. At the same time, nobody likes a snitch, and if I tell her manager, she'll of course know it was me who said something, which will make for an awkward work environment (keep in mind, small company). Also, she might get fired, and that wouldn't sit well with either of us. So I don't know what to do.

eBay user selling plagiarised articles

tomorama — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:13:14 -0800

Someone is selling my articles on eBay. I operate a web site, writing and publishing original how-to articles. An eBay buyer has alerted me to a seller who sold him one of my articles, which solves a pretty popular problem. I am planning to report the current auctions to VeRO.

That said, I am not satisfied with shutting own individual auctions. By looking through the seller's auction history, it is obvious he created the account for the sole purchase of selling plagiarized articles. He also has other similar auctions that are not on topics I have written, so I am sure he is plagiarizing others as well. His account should be closed. Also, I think everyone who has done business with this seller should open a dispute and ask for a refund. Should I contact all of the people that have been taken advantage of? What else can I do?

It has also occurred to me that since these articles are part of my livelihood, this seller has interfered with my ability to do business. I'm not sure what to do about that right now though, since at that point I am probably stepping into lawyer land.

Help a future cheater to never exist

Eothele — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:37:12 -0800

Resources to help a young person understand plagiarism and why it's bad. I am a TA in a general biology course at a large university, and one of my students has submitted a lab report that contains verbatim exerpts from 4 uncredited sources. My judgement, which I will not explain for brevity's sake but which I hope you will accept when answering, is that she doesn't understand how this is dishonest because she's come from schools teaching to standardized tests and her generation has always had the power to paste and doesn't always have teachers explaining why it's not good scholarship. I believe that a well reasoned article or two will turn her around. What resources exist online or in print or whatever?

How to deal with Internet thieves?

justonegirl — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 10:32:30 -0800

Anyone have experience addressing copyright infringement/plagiarism (efficiently and easily) without a lawyer? Or will a lawyer generally handle numerous cease-and-desist orders and/or lawsuits for a relatively reasonable fee? (I realize people answering these questions are not necessarily lawyers and are definitely not my lawyer!)

My husband and I own a pretty successful small business in our region, and are just starting to attract national media attention and opportunities. One of the cornerstones of our success thus far has been the detailed text on our website, which is probably the most informative and thorough in our industry. He and I personally wrote this text, putting a tremendous amount of work into it. We've recently found numerous other companies have stolen this text -- ranging from a few paragraphs to the entirety of our site. (So far we've identified about two dozen companies who've done this, but are still trying to track down any others.) Some of the companies have also submitted this text as their own to various online service directories within our field, and/or submitted the text in the form of an article to various websites.

When we first realized this, we started by sending emails to the companies' owners, as well as a cease-and-desist letter we created from a template. We've had mixed luck with this effort. We also are in the process of contacting the companies' website hosts and ISPs, and any directories/linking sites.

We're now looking for a more effective means of protecting our work, but aren't sure if this is something we can handle internally without too much trouble or if we need to hire a lawyer. Obviously, we also don't want to spend a ton of money on a lawyer's services just to get the sites taken down, especially if we aren't due any monetary damages.

(Also, not sure if this makes a difference, but just a few of the companies are local enough to possibly be considered competitors, but the bigger problem is the potential harm to our credibility. For instance, if a national media source were to research our company and find our text elsewhere, and not know where it actually originated.)

Does anyone have any experience dealing with something like this, or know whether a lawyer would generally charge us one lump sum or a per-instance fee? Thanks in advance.

Please help me identify these horror stories (an AskMe with a twist).

Faint of Butt — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:39:32 -0800

Help me identify these horror stories! Sounds like an everyday AskMe post, right? It's not. There's a twist here... Look, I don't want to come right out and make any accusations yet, but I think there's something shady going on with someone who's been submitting to my site. Suffice it to say that some of the stories he's submitted have looked familiar.

I've stripped two of his submissions of the author's name and title, and posted them on a hidden page on my site here. If you read a lot of horror, please go there and read the stories as he sent them to me, and tell me if you've ever seen them before, whether online or in a book. I'm really concerned about this. Thank you.

Is using material from unpublished in-house sources considered plagiarism?

teem — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 06:39:48 -0800

Is using material from unpublished in-house sources considered academic plagiarism? Pretty much all research projects require input from a number of sources, and are written up in many forms (grant application, ethics application, lit review, presentations, etc.) before they are written up formally (thesis, journal article, etc.). Often different people play a more active role in the different forms that are written up (e.g. the lab head might write the grant proposal whereas an honours student might give a presentation on the topic). So, when similarities pop up between these different forms, when (if ever) is it considered plagiarism? I am referring particularly to when sections from that first, unpublished group, pop up in that second, published group.

For example, if a PhD student copies-and-pastes a paragraph from the grant application written by their supervisor (with their supervisor's permission) into their thesis, is that plagiarism? Then there are less blatant examples, such as the published lit review that looks a whole lot similar in structure and references (although the content is re-written) to what the project-coordinator put together for the ethics application. Many of these cases would be clear-cut plagiarism if the original material were published elsewhere, but with in-house unpublished material it seems like anything goes. I'm too low in the research hierarchy to have been in the situation where this might apply to me, but I have seen a lot of this borrowing from in-house sources occurring. When (if ever) does it become plagiarism?

Consequences of plagiarism

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 21:15:19 -0800

My partner has just been caught for plagiarism. I don't know many details because she won't talk about it, but I want to know what effect this will have on her future. Mrs. Anon is a fourth year student at a Canadian university, currently completing the very last courses of her degree. Although I feel the need to make excuses for her, I realize that there is no excuse for intellectual theft, so I won't. She doesn't want to talk about it, so all I know is this:

Today she got a registered letter from the university telling her that they recognize her plagiarism offense.
She wasn't surprised at the letter, so she must have known about it in advance.
I don't know if the offense is from this semester or last semester.
I just checked her transcript online and there are no notes on it, but it may still be too early. I assume that since she got a registered letter from the university it is a formal offense and will go on her record.

So:
What does it mean to have a plagiarism offense on your record? Who can see it? For how long?
Does this mean her dreams of graduate school are crushed?
What about other careers - if she applies to work for the government (etc.) will they see it?
How do I talk to her about this?

If anyone has gone through this and doesn't want to be outed in-thread, I have set up a throwaway email account at askmeplagiarism (chez) gmail (dot) com

Can instructors distribute students' papers without permission?

sian — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:35:18 -0800

Can an instructor enter a student's paper into one of those paper databases without telling the student? This is more of a curiosity thing than anything else, but I've always wondered this. I would have guessed the answer is "no" because my classes all required hard copies, but sometimes it seems that some schools are so deadset against sifting out plagiarizers that to them, sometimes the ends justify the means. Are there copies of my papers floating around somewhere and I don't know about it?

By paper databases, I mean private collections or something like Turnitin.com.

possible plagiarism/copyright web problem

selton — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 14:37:02 -0800

I want to start a website as a hobby basically. I have several books/articles on a subject that interests me and seemingly some other people too. I think I have all the books/articles available in English on this topic. This area is very poorly covered on the internet. I want to use the knowledge I have, but I don't want to be accused of plagiarism or run into copyright problems. I won't "copy" anything word for word or scan any of the illustrations from the books. As an imaginary example: Suppose I have every book dedicated to "Freemasons in Brazil"

A) Is it wrong for me to start a website where, in effect, I'd summarise/expand on/collate the knowledge I have gained from the books and articles to make an exhaustive resource?

B) Would it be wrong for me to put google ads (or similar) to cover the hosting?

C) What about the illustrations from the books? Could I use those as a base to draw my own similar, but again different, images?

D) I imagine I should somewhere mention where the info I have has come from? Partly from curtesy and partly incase anyone wanted to get hold of them for themselves.

E) Will I have created anything "original" when/if this website is live?

I imagine if I was lucky with the ads, I might cover my hosting. But I want to do the right thing and also partly I'm curious about the principal.

Avoiding plagiarism - specific questions on attribution...

soulbarn — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:51:18 -0800

I am writing a book - a non-academic, non-fiction book. I am using lots of academic materials as sources, and generally I simply mention the source in the text when I am quoting directly - or summarizing an original idea contained in the source (I use footnotes when the attribution requires more info and interrupts the flow of the story I am telling.) I am, of course, especially concerned with the issue of plagiarism - I am keeping my notes tidy, attributing as above, and otherwise following the various rules I've read in the different handbooks for academic writing I've studied. But here are two questions.... 1) In my book, I've come to certain "big picture" conclusions. In my research, I've found a couple of authors who precede me who come to similar - though not exactly the same - conclusions (all our conclusions are somewhat novel, though I also think they'd be fairly obvious to anybody who spent a lot of time thinking through the topic.) I have mentioned both of these authors as above, when I've directly quoted their material or ideas, but what's the best way to present my conclusion, while showing that I sort of stand on their shoulders, but also that this represents my original thinking. All this, keeping in mind that this is very much a book for popular consumption, so whatever I do needs to be readable for a general audience.

2) One thing I haven't been able to figure out definitevely is the issue of quoting quotes from well-known sources. For example, some of the literature I've studied might use a specific quote from the New York Times. The quote is useful for me, as well. Do I have to attribute it to just NYT, to the author of the paper that originally quoted it, or both? I get wildly different answers on this depending on whether I ask journalists and academics...

thanks!

Can you plagiarize in a draft copy?

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 06:47:27 -0800

In academia, is it plagiarism if you haven't finished writing your document, and you give it to a colleague/professor to review for content changes/problems and they find uncited sources? A good friend of mine is finishing his Ph.D. He is just a few months from having his disseration completed, but he hasn't completed writing it yet. He recently gave a few of his chapters to his committee for comments (the normal process before you submit a final version for review). To his surprise, they found 5 references (out of 650+ in the document) that were not cited.

When they found this, instead of pointing them out to him (normal procedure) they submitted them to the graduate school citing plagiarism.

My friend has been an exemplary student. He has taught classes at the university, and actually brought charges against his students for plagiarism. He takes plagiarism very seriously, and had no intent to plagiarize.

The thing is this though. The document wasn't completed. He had not scrubbed it for sources. He had not proof read it. The formatting was off. It was definately a working draft, and everyone on his committee knew this and has acknowledged it. Yet, they cited him anyway.

The plagiarism "references" were not material to the central question. He did not steal any arguments from anyone. All the references in question were in the literary review portion of the document, citing sources that had been read as a build up to the central theme.

So, I'm looking to understand the word "plagiarism." The definitions are very loosely defined throughout the internet, so its hard to lock down.

Can plagiarism occur in draft versions of the document?

Can it be plagiarism if its a working document and there is no intent to plagiarize?

Is intent relevant at all, or is plagiarism just plagiarism no matter what?

Any thoughts, especially from Ph.D. students or people with Ph.D.s would be appreciated.

Thanks...

Henry V at El Alamein?

vitia — Fri, 12 May 2006 17:11:19 -0800

In a course I teach, I've assigned students to remix a cultural text of their choosing. One student, after missing many classes, has turned in Henry V's famous "Once more unto the breach" monologue pasted into the word balloons of an old WWII comic showing the English at El Alamein, and I'm suspicious of plagiarism, especially since he's shown no previous drafts. (I'm hoping I'm wrong, because if he came up with it on his own, it's a really cool idea.) It's one page, five panels, with Montgomery speaking as Henry V. Has anybody seen this elsewhere?

How do you stop a content thief who has not plagiarised your work, but obviously has done so to others?

maxpower — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 22:54:30 -0800

How do you stop a content thief who has not plagiarised your work, but obviously has done so to others? You arrive at the website. Sleek and modern, you explore it. Something seems familiar... then it hits you: most of the content on the site has been plagiarised. You do not own the rights to any of the content but feel compelled to do something to stop this website from making money.

On the desk before you is a personal computer.

> submit DMCA or cease and desist to host

You do not own the rights to the plagiarised words. Try again?

Is blog plagiarism now just customary?

tula — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 14:14:10 -0800

Can or should I bother to bust a blogspot blogger for blatant plagiarism? I found a old blog entry where some dope posted an entire David Sedaris story as her own, changing so few words--the title of the story (the youth in asia) is the same for chrissake! Can anything be done? Stealing creative works rankles me. I'm unfamiliar with blogspot, and blogging in general. Is there such a thing as a cross-site pile-on? Or is this kind of thing so common that I should just get over myself and go take a walk?

Dead man's initials

altolinguistic — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 06:16:51 -0800

Is it OK to use a 500-year-old monogram on my website? I am writing content for a professional website which will promote my translation services. It so happens that my initials are the same as Albrecht Dürer's (144K image, relevant monogram at bottom of woodcut) and I'd like to use this monogram for my own site.

I'm assuming this would be legally OK as he's been dead a long time - am I right? Also, is it generally a good idea? (I might also include a bit of a St Jerome theme, and Dürer might be able to help with that). I'm also imagining that any decent web designer would be able to come up with something if I supply e.g. the image I link to here, along with an explanation of the kind of thing I'd like. Am I right?

This is the first website I've been involved with creating, so be nice...

Internet Plagiarism

evoo — Tue, 31 May 2005 22:12:14 -0800

Web design plagiarism - How do you deal with someone who has taken original content from a commercial web site you designed and built from scratch, and then put that material on their commercial web site and used it as their own? What if this person is in the same business as you and works in the same market and location as you? Without self-linking to the actual pages, I'll just say that there is an individual in my town who works in the same market I do. (We're both entertainers.) This person clearly liked my web site and took several ideas from my site and inserted them directly into his site, making our sites look very similar. And I'm not talking about just the layouts... he took actual copy from my pages and is using it to represent him on HIS site. After I found out about this, I emailed him with a detailed list of all the plagiarized points that bothered me (about a dozen) and asked him to change them. He wrote back and denied everything, but after continued pressure from me, he admitted he stole my work and agreed to change 3 of the 12 things I asked him to. I just let the rest go and went on with my life until tonight, when I noticed he had added another page to his site which was basically cut and pasted from my site. It is a customized client inquiry form designed specifically for the type of client we both work for. He just stole it from me quite blantantly. I have written to him again and I am awating his response.

The other thing is, he designs web sites for other people (also in our market) and he has even plagiarized my work on the OTHER sites he's built.

I know this sort of thing is rampant on the web. It's just so infuriating. What have you done when this has happend to you?

How do you fight academic plagiarism if accused? What effects on your academic future if found guilty?

dsaelf — Fri, 13 May 2005 04:57:26 -0800

How do you fight academic plagiarism if accused? What effects on your academic future if found guilty? Here's the story my goddaughter writes a paper (1 of 7) for her eng lit class. She inadvertently leaves 3 sentences unattributed on paper #7 and her professor has formally started academic plagiarism charges against her! (And her friend for 1 sentence) She knows a boy in her class who had the same professor last semseter who was also caught plagiarizing. He was given a zero but no academic charges were filed against him. Will that help her? She wants to teach on a college level in the future. What effect will this have on her goal? Will it effect her entrance into graduate programs? It really was an error/oversight on her part.