Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age

by Martha Vicinus (Editor), Caroline Eisner (Editor)

"At long last, a discussion of plagiarism that doesn't stop at 'Don't do it or else,' but does full justice to the intellectual interest of the topic!"
---Gerald Graff, author of Clueless in Academe and 2008 President, Modern Language AssociationThis collection is a timely intervention in national debates about what constitutes original or plagiarized writing in the digital age. Somewhat ironically, the Internet makes it both easier to copy and easier to detect copying. The essays in this volume explore the complex issues of originality, imitation, and plagiarism, particularly as they concern students, scholars, professional writers, and readers, while also addressing a range of related issues, including copyright conventions and the ownership of original work, the appropriate dissemination of innovative ideas, and the authority and role of the writer/author. Throughout these essays, the contributors grapple with their desire to encourage and maintain free access to copyrighted material for noncommercial purposes while also respecting the reasonable desires of authors to maintain control over their own work.Both novice and experienced teachers of writing will learn from the contributors' practical suggestions about how to fashion unique assignments, teach about proper attribution, and increase students' involvement in their own writing. This is an anthology for anyone interested in how scholars and students can navigate the sea of intellectual information that characterizes the digital/information age."Eisner and Vicinus have put together an impressive cast of contributors who cut through the war on plagiarism to examine key specificities that often get blurred by the rhetoric of slogans. It will be required reading not only for those concerned with plagiarism, but for the many more who think about what it means to be an author, a student, a scientist, or anyone who negotiates and renegotiates the meaning of originality and imitation in collaborative and information-intensive settings."
---Mario Biagioli, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University, and coeditor of Scientific Credit and Intellectual Property in Science"This is an important collection that addresses issues of great significance to teachers, to students, and to scholars across several disciplines. . . . These essays tackle their topics head-on in ways that are both accessible and provocative."
---Andrea Lunsford, Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor of English, Claude and Louise Rosenberg Jr. Fellow, and Director of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University and coauthor of Singular Texts/Plural Perspectives on Collaborative Writingdigitalculturebooks is an imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative and accessible work exploring new media and their impact on society, culture, and scholarly communication. Visit the website at www.digitalculture.org.

280 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2008

About the author

Martha Vicinus is an American scholar of English literature and Women's studies. She serves as the Eliza M. Mosher Distinguished University Professor of English, Women's Studies, and History at the University of Michigan.

Reviews

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an edited collection, and even though it was published in 2008, it still has great currency and relevance. That is because - perhaps - debates about plagiarism are split between 'it's not a big deal, dude' to 'it is the end of the world and the zombies are coming.'

Plagiarism exists in multiple contexts. It maintains differing definitions through copyright law, 'fair use' and different disciplines. Digitally-infused patch writing is an example of the transformations to the definition of plagiarism.

I was particularly impressed by the way in which 'imitation' and 'innovation' were managed, and how genres serve to frame what is possible, accepted and acceptable.

Fascinating book.

[Candy Wood]

This collection of essays from a conference organized by the University of Michigan's Sweetland Writing Center affirmed my idea that while there's a perverse enjoyment in catching college-student plagiarists, it's more important to emphasize the basics of how and why to cite sources properly. Several of the writers note the prevalence of "sampling" in popular culture, and others explore the complicated relationship between imitation and originality in Western and other cultures. Essays on the Wikipedia phenomenon, citation practices across the disciplines, "common knowledge," and copyright law add to the interest of the collection. While a few writers suggest that services such as Turnitin may sometimes be helpful "as an educational tool" (Emerson), most deplore the climate of mistrust in which such services flourish. And then there are the colleges copying each other's plagiarism statements without attribution. Editors Caroline Eisner and Martha Vicinus have assembled a collection that should offer guidance to many writing teachers, experienced or not.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really focuses on why our culture cares about plagiarism and how the history of plagiarism came to be in this age of technology. The book is divided into three sections- originality, imitation, and plagiarism. Each chapter is written by a different writer. While I did find this book helpful and interesting at explaining the concept of plagiarism, I was disappointed there weren't many solutions to plagiarism. Otherwise an interesting read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A diverse and interesting account of writing that spans time periods, countries, and disciplines in illuminating and smart ways. I bet the conference from which this collection emerged was fantastic.