I try to read the USA Today Technology section at least once a week. I don't always read the articles, just the headlines to see what is most popular regarding technology. When I read the paper on Sunday, March 8, the article that caught my eye wasn't the new cybersecurity report that is being presented to President Obama. No, the headline that grabbed my attention was: "Scientists explain why they plagiarize."
Excuses for plagiarism don't surprise people anymore. If a high school junior proclaimed, "I did it because my hard drive crashed," most would shrug it off as a young mistake and tell them to not let it happen again. But what about plagiarism from well-known scientists?
Harold Garner, an expert on scientific plagiarism, said, "It's just too easy to cut and paste these days."
What's going on here?
I love some of the data that was offered:
"Potential plagiarists were 'more varied' in their responses:
•28% denied plagiarism
•35% admitted wrongdoing and expressed remorse
•22% were from co-authors 'claiming no involvement in the writing of the manuscript.'"
I also found the excuses to sound very similar to the ones offered by college and high school student studies on cheating that I've come across. How about this line: " I was not aware of the fact I am required to take such permission."
Are you kidding me? These are supposed to be our best and brightest. I suppose Wall Street ethics are not the only ones that need improvement.
Yes, this does have huge implications for the Internet, businesses, and society as a whole. Who are the new role models? Where are the positive examples? Is this the new normal?
For security professionals, this is just another example of how cyber ethics are so vitally important to what we do at home and work.
What are your thoughts?
This is just one more example of the outcome of the erosion in personal responsibility that our country has been experiencing for the last 20+ years. As we move farther from accepting the consequences of our actions, such things become inevitable. If everything wrong with my life is nothing more than a result of other people's actions (and specifically not my own) then I can justify a multitude of actions from theft to apathy. If we start taking responsibility for our lives and actions we can begin to understand that while everything that happens may not be under our control our actions are. Man is rarely, if ever, forced to do anything. The choices may be limited and unpalatable, but there is almost always a choice.
I agree with you Dan. Everyone needs to take this issue seriously. It seems to me that ethics are something that many companies don't value very much, just as long as it doesn't affect business in a negative way. Consequently infractions are not punished and the pattern of abuse continues. It is incumbent upon leadership to enforce and model strong ethics and core values. Leadership can "inject" the expectation of integrity and ethical behavior into corporate cultures.
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