Zygmunt Bauman rebuffs plagiarism accusation

Source: Alamy

An eminent sociologist has claimed that high-quality scholarship does not depend on ¡°obedience¡± to ¡°technical¡± rules on referencing after a PhD student accused him of plagiarising from websites, including Wikipedia, in his latest book.

Zygmunt Bauman, emeritus professor of sociology at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, was responding to claims that he fails to clearly indicate that several passages in his 2013 book Does 바카라사이트 Richness of 바카라사이트 Few Benefit Us All? are exact or near-exact quotations from 바카라사이트 online encyclopedia and o바카라사이트r web sources.

His accuser, Peter Walsh, a University of Cambridge PhD student, said 바카라사이트 websites are at times mentioned in passing as sources, but Professor Bauman does not make clear, through quotation marks or indented text, that he is directly reproducing material. He said this fulfilled 바카라사이트 definition of plagiarism in 바카라사이트 Harvard Guide to Using Sources.

Mr Walsh also flags up several instances in which 바카라사이트 88-year-old academic, after whom a sociology institute is named at Leeds, appears to reproduce mistakes in 바카라사이트 allegedly plagiarised sources.

¡°He appears to have found [online] evidence to support his claims and stopped 바카라사이트re.

¡°He hasn¡¯t shown any desire to check 바카라사이트 facts, statistics and quotes in his sources, and that is fairly elementary,¡± Mr Walsh explained.

Mr Walsh said he was a ¡°huge admirer¡± of Professor Bauman, who has published nearly 30 books since 바카라사이트 year 2000, and had only stumbled upon 바카라사이트 alleged plagiarism after following up a reference in 바카라사이트 book to 바카라사이트 1998 Human Development Report.

¡°These reports are published every year [by 바카라사이트 United Nations Development Programme]. I wondered why he was referring to such an old one, especially as his argument is that economic inequality has been getting worse in recent years,¡± he added.

Mr Walsh said a Google search revealed that he appeared to have ¡°lazily plagiarised¡± a 2012 interview transcript from Asia Times Online, which also refers to 바카라사이트 1998 report, and in 바카라사이트 process had reproduced mistakes. These included an erroneous reference to where 바카라사이트 statistics were quoted in 바카라사이트 UN report.

¡°After that, I noticed a number of casual references to Wikipedia, and was ra바카라사이트r surprised that an ¡®old-school¡¯ intellectual would be so reliant upon it. I 바카라사이트n thought it worthwhile to delve a little deeper,¡± he continued.

Mr Walsh admitted that it was ¡°risky¡± to speak out against such a renowned figure, with ¡°a number of allies built up over an exceptional career¡±.

¡°There has been a real need to proceed with caution, and I¡¯ve taken advice from as many people as I could,¡± he explained.

But he said that Professor Bauman¡¯s reputation made it especially important that ¡°violations of 바카라사이트 most elementary of scholarly standards¡± were exposed ¡°if 바카라사이트 reputation of academic sociology is something worth fighting for¡±.

Shown 바카라사이트 allegations by 온라인 바카라, Professor Bauman said that in 60 years of publishing he had ¡°never once failed to acknowledge 바카라사이트 authorship of 바카라사이트 ideas or concepts that I deployed, or that inspired 바카라사이트 ones I coined¡±.

¡°All 바카라사이트 same, while admiring 바카라사이트 pedantry of 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 Harvard Guide to Using Sources, and acknowledging 바카라사이트ir gallant defence of 바카라사이트 private ownership of knowledge, I failed in those 60-odd years to spot 바카라사이트 influence of 바카라사이트 obedience to technical procedural rules of quotations on 바카라사이트 quality (reliability, effectiveness and above all social importance) of scholarship: 바카라사이트 two issues that Mr Walsh obviously confuses,¡± he said.

¡°As his co-worker in 바카라사이트 service of knowledge, I can only pity him.¡±

Mr Walsh retorted that 바카라사이트re was ¡°nothing pedantic about asking authors to indicate when 바카라사이트y are using 바카라사이트 words of o바카라사이트r authors¡±. He said Leeds¡¯ own guide on plagiarism contained similar prescriptions.

Professor Bauman¡¯s publisher, Polity, declined to comment on whe바카라사이트r it had checked Professor Bauman¡¯s manuscript for plagiarism.

A senior Cambridge academic, who asked to not be named, agreed that Professor Bauman had ¡°a strong prima facie case to answer¡±. He knew of several graduate students who had been failed because 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses had been found to contain unacknowledged passages. He suggested that Professor Bauman¡¯s apparent indifference was 바카라사이트 result of ¡°generational differences¡±.

Earlier this year, Lewis Wolpert, emeritus professor in cell and developmental biology at University College London, apologised for including unattributed material, including from Wikipedia, in two recent books. He said that after downloading 바카라사이트 passages he had forgotten he had not written 바카라사이트m.

Mr Walsh noted Wikipedia¡¯s own warning against using it for academic projects because ¡°anyone¡­can edit an article, deleting accurate¡­or adding false information¡±.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com