A CUT ABOVE? PLAGIARISM IN THE GEOSCIENCES

Plagiarism has become a hot topic in the Internet environment. As reported in both the general press and science publications, the type of people caught plagiarizing ranges broadly. So too do the subjects involved. To what extent do these reports concern geoscientists? To what extent do they deal with plagiarism among students taking geoscience courses? In short, what image of integrity in the geosciences vis a vis plagiarism does the literature present? To answer these questions three types of literature 1995-2005 are examined: 1) the general press as represented by four national newspapers (New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chronicle of Higher Education); 2) the science literature as indexed by ISI Web of Science; and 3) the geoscience literature as indexed in Georef. Results lead to an examination of the implications for training future geoscientists as well as instructing all students enrolled in geoscience courses. It further looks at implications for the role of libraries and librarians in such training and instruction and potential collaboration with faculty members to deal with plagiarism.