Plagiarism in a PhD Thesis?
What requires citation, and what can be considered general knowledge? Is it acceptable to use someone else's text for linguistic reasons?
[The following text is an example or "case" that can serve as a starting point for reflection and discussion. Some examples may be based on real events, while others are fictional representations.]
After a PhD thesis has been approved, accusations of plagiarism emerge. The claims involve two main concerns: plagiarism of other researchers' work in the descriptive section of the thesis and direct copying of text from various websites.
The accused individual (NN) responds to the allegations as follows:
"It is true that I have used some text from other sources. However, I did not cite these sources because they appear only in the section where I provide an overview of relevant research in the field. The actual, independent research section of the dissertation is entirely my own work.
My dissertation is written in English, and I primarily relied on other authors' text in the descriptive section because I am not as proficient in English as they are. This puts me at a disadvantage compared to researchers who are native English speakers. I could have rephrased the same content in my own words, but I used existing formulations purely for linguistic reasons. This does not affect my independent research in any way. Additionally, the reproduced text in the descriptive section constitutes only 5–10% of the total dissertation. The vast majority of the work is my own.
Furthermore, neither my supervisor nor the assessment committee raised any concerns about the descriptive section.
The bibliography of my dissertation includes references to many of the sources used in the descriptive section. Even though there are no direct citations, the bibliography makes it clear that I relied on multiple sources. Therefore, this cannot be considered plagiarism."
Regarding the accusation of plagiarism from websites, NN argues that the institution had not provided formal training in research ethics, including plagiarism policies, during the PhD program. Nor had NN’s supervisor emphasized this issue. NN claims that she was unaware that citing material from websites might also be required. Most of the copied text was not directly based on research, and NN perceived much of it as public information or general knowledge, readily accessible to anyone. NN also states that fellow students followed similar practices, reinforcing the belief that no wrongdoing had occurred. Therefore, NN argues that even if plagiarism is present, she should not be held responsible.
Discuss NN’s arguments that this does not constitute plagiarism, as well as the claim that any plagiarism should not be considered NN’s fault.
Note: This is a translation of the Norwegian original text by Johanne Svanes Oskarsen.