Fatal attraction

"Plagiarism is a curse that afflicts every endeavour where pen is put to paper — journalism, literature and academic research — but when it shows up in the world of science, the consequences can be far more damaging. At stake are not just individual reputations but the robustness of scholarly findings. That is why every effort must be made to stamp out the rot. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Fatal attraction:  One of the ironies of our times is that the computer makes both plagiarism and its detection easier than ever.

Cheating science

"The number of researchers getting exposed for data falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism has been increasing. But the sobering fact is that this number is barely the tip of research misconduct. "

With the exception of plagiarism, journals are not fully geared to spot all forms of cheating prior to publication. The problem is particularly heightened in developing countries like India where no system for investigating such cases exists. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Cheating science. Since research misconduct is detrimental to the development of science, it is necessary to make laws that mandate universities to investigate cases thoroughly or allow third-party investigation.

A solution has to be soon found before published journal articles lose their value and pre-eminent place in science.