Re: Plagiarism, credit, and culture-reply, reply, reply

[Carl Glover <glover@msmary.edu>]

Steve,
	I agree that many students plagiarize because they lack the
knowledge and experience with the academic conventions of proper citation
and documentation.  I would, however, like to suggest that you reconsider
your statement: "It's the ideas we learn from and it matters little who
first penned them."  While on the surface that sounds reasonable, it does
not take into account one of the most important functions of accurate
citations: furthering scholarship.  If I encounter in an article certain
ideas that I wish to pursue further, it is important that I know "who
first penned them," and where.  Anyone who has done any sort of scholarly
writing, from articles, to books, to dissertations, knows how important
this research trail is.  Without citations there is no trail.  
	So, at least in this instance, citations have little to do with
"pandering to egos" and everything to do with furthering scholarship.
	Forgive me.  In a moment of weakness and insanity I decided to
write a serious post.			
					Warm regards,



					Carl W. Glover
					glover@msmary.edu