Contributors offer many definitions and facets of plagiarism and intellectual property, demonstrating that if defining a supposedly "simple" concept is difficult, then applying multiple definitions is even harder, creating practical problems in many realms.

A concise, lively, and bracing exploration of an issue bedeviling our cultural landscape–plagiarism in literature, academia, music, art, and film–by one of our most influential and controversial legal scholars. Best-selling novelists J. K. Rowling and Dan Brown, popular historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, first novelist Kaavya Viswanathan: all have rightly or wrongly been accused of plagiarism–theft of intellectual property–provoking widespread media punditry. But what exactly is plagiarism? How has the meaning of this notoriously ambiguous term changed over time as a consequence of historical and cultural transformations? Is the practice on the rise, or just more easily detectable by technological advances? How does the current market for expressive goods inform our own understanding of plagiarism? Is there really such a thing as “cryptomnesia,” the unconscious, unintentional appropriation of another’s work? What are the mysterious motives and curious excuses of plagiarists? What forms of punishment and absolution does this “sin” elicit? What is the good in certain types of plagiarism? Provocative, insightful, and extraordinary for its clarity and forthrightness, The Little Book of Plagiarism is an analytical tour de force in small, the work of “one of the top twenty legal thinkers in America” (Legal Affairs), a distinguished jurist renowned for his adventuresome intellect and daring iconoclasm.

Presents a discussion on plagiarism for educators that focuses on possible causes that would lead students to plagiarize their work, ways to detect plagiarism, and also how to educate students to understand the seriousness of the crime.

Plagiarism takes an in-depth look at the history of plagiarism in higher education in light of today's Web-based plagiarism detection services. Challenging the widespread assumption that plagiarism is a simple matter of student cheating or scriptural error, Bill Marsh argues that today's teachers and educational institutions may be cheating themselves and their students in pursuing quick-fix solutions to the so-called epidemic of student plagiarism. When students submit papers cribbed from materials found on the Web or purchase research papers from Internet paper mills, these acts of sedition must also be recognized, for better or worse, as examples of new-media composition techniques. Examining Web-based plagiarism detection services and software such as Glatt, EVE, Plagiarism-Finder, and Turnitin.com, Marsh contends that these services regulate writing and reading practices in ways consistent with precomputer, even preindustrial, efforts to manage and refine human behavior. As he weaves together print history, education, rhetoric, and communication theory, Marsh shows that the rules governing plagiarism and the proper use of borrowed materials have their origins in early intellectual property law, in the reading practices of twelfth-century monks, and the precepts of medieval alchemy. Through an examination of these prescholastic models, this book calls for a revised approach to academic writing in computer-mediated environments.

In this illuminating study, Marilyn Randall takes on the question of why some cases of literary repetition become great art, while others are relegated to the ignominy of plagiarism. Her discussion reveals that plagiarism is not the objective textual fact it is often taken for, but a phenomenon governed by the norms and conventions of literary reception. Randall turns her focus on the critical debates surrounding cases of perceived plagiarism. Charting the progress of plagiarism in the history of Western letters, her study ranges over centuries, from the notion's first apperance in Roman times to contemporary disputes about intellectual property. Randall considers the development of copyright law and the notion of authorship, presents a wide range of texts, and draws aptly on Foucault's notion of the discursive construction of authorship. Just as Foucault studied insanity to find out what was meant by sanity, says Randall, so the study of plagiarism can reveal what was meant by the term "literary" at various cultural moments. She shows that perceived instances of plagiarism are aspects of an ongoing power struggle in the literary field. And as she reveals, it is not the plagiarist but the accuser who is most concerned with achieving profit and power.

Designed to be of use to all levels of educators working with students--from high school to post-graduate--this book addresses the problems and concerns facing librarians and educators involved in the process of teaching academic honesty. Many of the original authors from The Plagiarism Plague have returned with new essays along with new voices, a majority of whom represent the next generation of librarianship, the Web 2.0 professional. Stop Plagiarism contains background material, web resources, a collection of sample exercises, and an interactive CD that provides tools an educator can use to stop plagiarism. One of three videos on the CD features an animated interactive quiz that helps student understand when they must include a citation. The authors have also established an anti-plagiarism wiki where readers are encouraged to participate in the on-going conversation on plagiarism. This book is a one-stop source for anyone who wants to understand why students knowingly or unknowingly plagiarize, who needs materials for teaching academic integrity, and who will benefit from a current resource guide to tools for actively detecting plagiarism.

Offers an instructional plan for plagiarism education for middle school and high school students, allowing librarians to become a resource for students, teachers, and school administrators. The proliferation of resources now available through libraries and the internet requires a new set of information management skills in order for students to avoid plagiarism. While educators legitimately expect students to approach academic work with honesty and integrity, students need to be able to understand the context of their academic resources—both print and digital—well enough to use them appropriately and ethically. Combating Plagiarism helps middle and high school teachers and librarians understand and teach the authorship and publication process so students learn to use relevant information in an ethically and academically sound fashion. Terry Darr's long-term collaboration with a high school history teacher taught her the challenges faced by students conducting research—and by librarians and teachers tasked with teaching plagiarism prevention. Her book is full of tested concepts for teaching these complex topics, emphasizing our modern reliance on digital sources. An extensive student reference section covers common knowledge, fact, and opinion. A wealth of practical resources includes real-life examples from research papers as well as plenty of instructional materials, exercises, and lesson plans.