The spikess/Empress Galaxia case poll

[bogwitch]

There appears to be a split in consensus regarding the decision this community should make in this case. In the interest of fairness, and to take some of the pressure off the moderators, it was decided that a poll might be the best way forward regarding this issue.

Poll The brynspikess/Empress Galaxia case

Comments

[entrenous88]

I voted for the "watch list" placement. Part of my rationale in choosing this option is because I think spikess has been extremely cooperative and civil throughout this entire investigation, and I appreciate her willingness to abide by the community's & moderators' decision.

I will say, though, that I think if there were some median option -- between the harshly worded "convicted plagiarist" (and yes, I know that's what's on the info page, but even so) and the "watch list of ... involved with cases of plagiarism but not actually guilty of it" I would choose that third option -- not different from the "watch list" in its result, but different in how that option would categorize this matter.

That is, if it was available I would choose an option that recognizes that this situation is an example of plagiarism, but also that it is not a malicious instance, that it is a situation that is more benign than deliberate plagiarism, and, finally, that this presented a far less clear-cut example than we usually imagine when we consider the concept abstractly.

Students on campuses are on occasion found to have committed plagiarism despite the fact that they did not (and perhaps still do not) fully understand why their questionable writing practices constituted a transgression of appropriate credit for the writing and ideas of another author. Questionable writing practices can indeed be used by people with the best of intentions. That, however, doesn't detract from the seriousness of the basic issue that the charge of plagiarism intends to protect: that words and ideas belong to the authors who generated them, and that due, full, clear credit must result if anyone wishes to employ those words and ideas in any publication or project to which they lend their own name.

Finally, I just wanted to make the remark that I think this has been a courteous and above-board discussion, and every who has participated has acted with candor and thoughtfulness. Thanks to all of the respondants for that.

I think also that we've encountered more than a few questions about what we can or cannot all agree constitutes plagiarism, what we think of the role of intent, and at what point and to what degree we should consider the factor of authorial permission (either after or before the posting of the work). It seems we're set up for some good and important discussion following the resolution of this case.