Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The story of a New Zealand writer

Plagiarism means using the work of others in preparing an assignment and presenting it as your own without explicitly acknowledging – or referencing -- where it came from. Plagiarism can also mean not acknowledging the full extent of indebtedness to a source. Work can be plagiarised from many sources – including books, articles, the internet, and other students’ assignments. Plagiarism can also occur unconsciously or inadvertently.
From the University of Auckland's guide to academic honesty
Dean of Arts, Associate Professor Jan Crosthwaite, said the plagiarism has been investigated by the university and said there was no deliberate wrong-doing.

"Though the amount of non-attributed material may seem insignificant, any failure to acknowledge the work of others is most regrettable and is of concern to the University," Dr Crosthwaite said.

"I have been assured by Professor Ihimaera that he has taken speedy steps to remedy his unfortunate oversight," she said.
It is reassuring to know that the University takes all cases of plagiarism seriously, regardless of the status of the plagiarist.

In other news, Hone Harawira is not a racist; he was exercising his freedom of opinion.

2 comments:

Craig Ranapia said...

Would it be out of line to assume that you will going through your thesis with the proverbial Afro pick before submitting it, as Auckland University is historically a little less *cough* forgiving towards plagiarism by Ph.D. candidates?

Paul said...

Craig, I am far too fond of my own voice ever to use another's. However, I shall be revisiting the chapter of mine which begins "it was a dark and stormy night."