What actions should be taken toward people who copy and paste their answers? Does citing the source make a difference?
I've seen two major problems here.
1. People who copy and paste answers and don't list the source. This, to me, is theft. You are taking other people's work and not giving them credit for it. Worse, you are taking their work and trying to profit from it. That is criminal and unacceptable.
2. People who copy answers instead of stating it in their own words and cite the source. In most cases, this is pure laziness. Yes, there are times when copying is necessary. I did that on an answer because I wasn't really sure of some of the terms and afraid that if I restated it I would change the meaning. But I made it very clear at the beginning of my answer that that was done and clearly indicated the source for each item. However, when this is done on answers that have numerous original answers, it should be considered inappropriate and even be marked unhelpful.
Do me a favor, if you see an answer that does not have a source, copy and paste part of it directly into Google and see what appears. For example, if you take these two lines and paste them into Google:
"This is the fun part, learning to fly. The airplane can be launched with force or softly."
You will notice that it is a direct quote from two different sources (notice that the two lines appeared in bold?):
http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/paper/air-fly.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/4358618/best-paper-airplanes
Then, use the add source to call attention to the plagiarism and give credit where it is due. This will get you an extra point and keep people who don't deserve best answer from receiving it (hopefully).
If you are guilty of one or two of these acts in the past, now is the time for reform. Repent evil doers!! (Sorry, channeled a spiritual healer for a moment.)
Thoughts?
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M$14 Answers
While I do quote anything I take directly from a source I have been guilty of being "lazy" and using the quotation as my answer. Most of the time it is because I don't want to mess up the meaning entirely but sometimes I am just in a hurry to get the answer out there. So from now on, if able, I will try to paraphrase what I learn from a source.
PS. See we all need a crack of the whip sometimes lol just kidding.
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M$
A couple of points from my perspective:
1. It's never OK to plagiaries other people's work. If you see this please post a gentle comment--not angry--letting the person know that if they are going to quote or cite another source that they should a) make it very clear with an intro to the source and a quotation marks (i.e. WebMD agrees, stating in this article "TKTKTKT TKKTKT TKKTK" and b) only take a small percentage of the overall work.
2. Proper quoting with very clear citing is wonderful way to communicate important information and is often the best way to answer a question. If someone asks "what's the circumference of planet earth?" It's just fine to say: According to the Wikipedia, which uses the World Atlas as a source, the "circumference of the planet earth is TKTKTKT."
3. Many folks--perhaps most in the world--don't understand what a citation is or what constitutes plagiarism. That's just the reality of our situation. As such we should be really nice when explaining it to folks so they are super motivated to participate. If I remember correctly so of our top new members started on the site with a "cut and paste" style and moved toward more original writing.
4. Yes, if you made this mistake in the past you should make an effort to correct it. If someone were to not properly cite their quotes over and over again (and it was reported to @mike), he might have to suspend the account . We would always give a warning or three. :-)
all the best, Jason
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M$
I do agree with you though that they need to cite the URL...not only to give credit, but also because anyone doing more in-depth research would find it useful because you can often follow these links for further information...
My $0.02
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M$
In terms of action against them, I agree that something must be done.
Initially, it can be done with a comment to instruct about plagiarism and the importance of citing sources.
If it's a repeated pattern, then I think someone can be banned for it. I also think something about plagiarism can be included (if not already) in the TOS. And some kind of warning in each question page reminding people to cite properly.
I think copy and paste is fine as long as you cite. Granted, it shows laziness and answers in one's own words are more effective. But that should be up to the votes.
Like you, i take plagiarism very seriously. After being in academic environments for a long time, I see how much people value their intellectual work and I do NOT tolerate academic dishonesty or any type of plagiarism.
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M$
I feel there are two concepts here: the difference between quoting and paraphrasing. I found a good source for this, Princeton's publication for Academic Integrity (2008).
It basically says if you are rewording things and paraphrasing you should cite your source. My personal opinion, this just means popping the link into the source box to show where you got the information from.
Then it goes on to say, "Any verbatim use of a source, no matter how large or small the quotation, must be placed in quotation marks." And it continues, "Even if you use only a short phrase, or even one key word, you must use quotation marks in order to set off the borrowed language from your own, and you must cite the source." (http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/08/cite/)
So my use of them above shows how I will try to use this going forward. As for what actions to take, I don't really have an answer to that part of the question. Like I said, I am new to the site and just learning how everyone interacts.
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M$
My Thoughts.
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M$
I don't think listing your sources for copied information is the same as "citing" where you got it from. If you have more than one source, you should state what information is from which source to make it clear.
Each of us is responsible for our own posts. If they are not our own words and we do not properly quote the original author's text as well as provide reference, then we are being dishonest at the very least and (as Darcy points out) possibly acting in a criminal manner.
In this age of information at our fingertips, it's still so very important to maintain integrity and originality.
I say why not keep the bar as high as we can as a community.
As a librarian, I personally feel that your first point is accurate but your second is not. You should always quote when you are taking something from a source. Anything can be interpreted the wrong way - that's why its important to let the people receiving the answer interpret it themselves. Obviously, when you do use a quote - credit is due to the author.
Further question - Do you think it would be ardent for an answerer to put the source in the answer box as well as in the source box?
Self
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M$
Personally I think you should devise some cruel and unusual punishments for them. But I don't think Jason will go along with that, the empathic meanie, so here is an alternate suggestion.
I'd suggest that substandard answers should be quarantined, so that only the answerer and admins can see them. The answerer should be advised about what they need to do to get their answer up to Mahalo standards, and opened for general view again. If and when they do that, the answer can be republished.
Probably people should be allowed a few strikes without any further repurcussions, but after the nth strike, they should start to be penalised in points and M$ for every quarantined answer, and maybe on an accelerating scale.
In extreme cases, their belt levels should be dropped back to a lower level.
I don't think kindly and encouraging suggestions are always sufficient to get people to change their ways, and I don't think Mahalo can thrive if the quality and intergrity of its published answers is too variable.
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$I think a good feature would be highlighting blocks of quote like they do in forums. Even when quotations are used, they're easily skimmed past in the shuffle of a longer response.
For instance, I recently replied to a response from @thelastscionspeaks that had five paragraphs of quoted text (cited), but the quote was so long that I completely missed the four little lines at the beginning and end, and thought I was replying to original text.
Still, highlighted blocks could become a blight on the eye.
Regardless, good job on the rampage. =)
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M$
In many respects, this is a very complicated matter as Jason put it. When it comes to answers from me, I try to cite where appropriate. If there are not electronic versions of sources, I attempt to say so. If it is something that I consider to be common knowledge, I may not formally cite with a link but will state that it isn't my idea. If I am working off my recollection of a class lecture within the past ten years, I will tell you who spoke and what they spoke about and also state that my memory may or may not be the best.
This question ties into the basic purpose of the service. What is the point to Mahalo Answers? Who decides that? Working outward from the starting point of how Mahalo views Mahalo Answers will likely lead most easily to a solution.
No particular sites or electronic resources. Professional judgment from service as a librarian was used in the creation of this answer, though.
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M$Made it up, but it's nonetheless true.
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M$
"Fair use" is the use of a copyrighted material in portion or entirety for critique, review, summary, or parody. It also includes short quotations for academic and informative purposes, as well as commentary. Mahalo, I imagine, falls under one of those three categories at any given time.
It is my understanding that the issue lies in proper citation and accompanying original text that supports, refutes, analyzes, etc. - not in the quote's length. This is so that you can prove that your quotation use is protected under the fair use policy. However, as the U.S. copyright office states, "There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission."
- Knowledge
- http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html
Verify and validate
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M$
I refrain from doing so whenever possible, and even when absolutely necessary, I make sure all direct quotes are attributed to the respective source/s, as below:
Agreeing with gabby7, I make sure to list the source/s when I paraphrase, as below:
and usually either place quotes - for shorter sentences...
or differentiate that part of the answer in some way - for longer paragraphs...
As yet, my conscience is clear that I'm acting in the best interest's of the Mahalo Community!
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M$
I understand your hesitancy. Sometimes (despite the urgings of Jason Calacanis) I am hesitant to correct people. I mean, I don't work for Mahalo. Who do I think I am? However, if we don't work together to support, then this place won't survive. If anyone receives a negative attack because they corrected someone's mistake, I'll be the first to defend them.
In response to your comment, while you may not necessary to find your original source, including reputable sources will also make your answer stronger. It is almost as like having two people say the same thing.
Here's what I think, and here's WebMD backing me up. Wouldn't you be more likely to believe an answer that had several sources than one that didn't?
Just a side note. What if you learn a fact by answering a question, and cite your source but then the same question comes up again and you know the answer. Should you find your original source from when you first learned it or is it okay to answer without a source. *I understand that answers that are backed up often are chosen as best but I'm wondering about not plagiarising*