As term paper season approaches, it is well to remember that academic
standards of honest attribution of others' words is critical. Just
today I came across three examples of breaches:
her own in her own articles without attribution. 2. A Rutgers professor was caught in a sting in which he volunteered
to the suppose Union rep soliciting a study that he would NOT enter
the deal until he knew the data would support the cause. At least he
also volunteered that he would not falsify the data, but since he
wanted to please his customer, the union, he would first make sure the
data came out on the right side. This is advocacy, not scholarship.
But the money was to be paid outside the University, so hey... 3. Mitt Romney releases an ad that clearly quotes President Obama.
Obama was quoting and mocking McCain, who said "If the election is
about the economy, we lose." The ad makes it seem that Obama said
those words. When called on this, the Romney folks claimed it was
intentional, since they were showing the irony of Obama mocking McCain
for what he would say today. But that is too clever by half. If the
video makers had paid attention in English Composition. they would not
have been this careless. The rap on Romney is that he is plastic and
slick. What might seem brazenly dishonest rhetoric cannot help him.
He should fire the responsible people publicly.