More on plagiarism
Jan. 9th, 2008 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlyswotThis is what Signet, Cassie Edwards' other publishing company, had to say about the matter:
I'd say that the people at Signet need to take a long, hard look at themselves. Ms. Edwards has rarely needed to 'paraphrase another author's words', so common has been her tendency to 'borrow' them (though I don't think she plans to give them back, so in my book, that's stealing.)
It may be the case that Ms. Edwards has done nothing illegal. Would anyone like to explain the difference between 'wrong' and 'illegal'? Not that hard, is it?
No one is suggesting that Ms. Edwards footnote her sources, nor even give a full bibliography. But at the very least, there ought to be an acknowledgment of the sources she's copying. And an attempt to use the information in her own style, not copy the text verbatim.
You might also enjoy this little excerpt 'inspired by Cassie Edwards' which shows just how effective 'research' can be in overcoming writers block.
Penguin have so far not addressed the issue at all.
Signet takes plagiarism seriously, and would act swiftly were there justification for such allegations against one of its authors. But in this case Ms. Edwards has done nothing wrong.
The copyright fair-use doctrine permits reasonable borrowing and paraphrasing of another author’s words, especially for the purpose of creating something new and original. Also, anyone may use facts, ideas and theories developed by another author, as well as any material in the public domain. Ms. Edwards’s researched historical novels are precisely the kinds of original, creative works that this copyright policy promotes.
Although it may be common in academic circles to meticulously footnote every source and provide citations or bibliographies, even though not required by copyright law, such a practice is virtually unheard of for a popular novel aimed at the consumer market.
[emphasis mine]
I'd say that the people at Signet need to take a long, hard look at themselves. Ms. Edwards has rarely needed to 'paraphrase another author's words', so common has been her tendency to 'borrow' them (though I don't think she plans to give them back, so in my book, that's stealing.)
It may be the case that Ms. Edwards has done nothing illegal. Would anyone like to explain the difference between 'wrong' and 'illegal'? Not that hard, is it?
No one is suggesting that Ms. Edwards footnote her sources, nor even give a full bibliography. But at the very least, there ought to be an acknowledgment of the sources she's copying. And an attempt to use the information in her own style, not copy the text verbatim.
You might also enjoy this little excerpt 'inspired by Cassie Edwards' which shows just how effective 'research' can be in overcoming writers block.
Penguin have so far not addressed the issue at all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
~thank you
Date: 2008-01-22 12:56 pm (UTC)