Subject: Re: (off-topic) self-plagiarism From: "Iftikhar Riaz (Lance) Nizami" <Nizamii2@xxxxxxxx> Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 11:53:08 EDT List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>-------------------------------1246981988 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dr. Toth - Pierre Divenyi, in an earlier post in reply to your enquiry, said that the manuscript in question was covered by confidentiality rules and that hence there was nothing that you could do. Now, I'm not a lawyer, but I've followed ethics issues closely since my graduate years, and Dr. Divenyi is dead wrong. If the manuscript is indeed substantially a copy, then any expectation of confidentiality would have evaporated the instant that the very first version of the paper reached public exposure, either through journal publication or posting on a website. To say that confidentiality applies is hilarious. As such, there are a variety of options open to you. Let me respectfully point out (as others have) that your major responsibility is to inform your editor. The editor can (and should) then inform the editors of all the journals in which earlier copies appeared. There is already a tradition of this. The editor should also inform the Deja Vu online register of duplications; indeed, the paper(s) may already be listed there. If your editor refuses to do all these things, ask why not. If the editor still refuses, then do these things yourself. And tell your friends. There are too many charlatans out there who are flourishing in the world's most over-competitive job market because no one has the courage to speak up. By asking the opinions of Auditory List, you've already taken the first step to doing the right thing. On behalf of honest scientists everywhere, please continue. - Lance Nizami PhD, Decatur, GA 30030 In a message dated 7/7/2009 10:06:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tothl@xxxxxxxx writes: Dear List, I have a dilemma that I don't know where to turn with. I received a paper from a journal for review. A quick search on google revealed that the author has published the same paper (with negligible modifications) already at least 6-7 times. Is there anything I can do besides rejecting the paper from this journal? Thanks, and sorry for the off-topic mail. Laszlo Toth Hungarian Academy of Sciences * Research Group on Artificial Intelligence * "Failure only begins e-mail: tothl@xxxxxxxx * when you stop trying" http://www.inf.u-szeged.hu/~tothl * **************Looking for love this summer? Find it now on AOL Personals. (http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003) -------------------------------1246981988 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUS-ASCII"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16850" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=3Drole_body style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY= : Arial" bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7><FONT id=3Dr= ole_document face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2> <DIV>Dr. Toth -</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Pierre Divenyi, in an earlier post in reply to your enquiry, said tha= t the manuscript in question was covered by confidentiality rules and that hence= there was nothing that you could do. Now, I'm not a lawyer, but I've followed et= hics issues closely since my graduate years, and Dr. Divenyi is dead wrong. If= the manuscript is indeed substantially a copy, then any expectation of confidentiality would have evaporated the instant that the very first vers= ion of the paper reached public exposure, either through journal publication or= posting on a website. To say that confidentiality applies is hilarious.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As such, there are a variety of options open to you. Let me respectfu= lly point out (as others have) that your major responsibility is to inform you= r editor. The editor can (and should) then inform the editors of all the jou= rnals in which earlier copies appeared. There is already a tradition of this. Th= e editor should also inform the Deja Vu online register of duplications; ind= eed, the paper(s) may already be listed there. If your editor refuses to do all= these things, ask why not. If the editor still refuses, then do these things you= rself. And tell your friends. There are too many charlatans out there who are flourishing in the world's most over-competitive job market because no one= has the courage to speak up. By asking the opinions of Auditory List, you've= already taken the first step to doing the right thing. On behalf of honest scienti= sts everywhere, please continue. - Lance Nizami PhD, Decatur, GA 30030</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 7/7/2009 10:06:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, tothl@xxxxxxxx writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"= ><FONT style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=3DArial color=3D#000000 siz= e=3D2>Dear List,<BR>I have a dilemma that I don't know where to turn with. I receiv= ed a paper<BR>from a journal for review. A quick search on google revealed th= at the<BR>author has published the same paper (with negligible modifications)<BR>already at least 6-7 times. Is there anything I can do= besides rejecting<BR>the paper from this journal?<BR>Thanks, and sorry= for the off-topic mail.<BR><BR> &= nbsp; Laszlo Toth<BR> Hungarian Academy of Sciences= *<BR> Research Group on Artificial Intelligence * "Failure only begins<BR> e-mail: tothl@xxxxxxxx &n= bsp; * when you stop trying"<BR> http://www.inf.u-szeged.hu/~tothl *<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT><DIV CLASS=3D"aol_ad_footer" ID=3D"2= 97e884dbd5979771911f7aa82a0e8b8"><br/><font style=3D"color:black;font:norm= al 10pt arial,san-serif;"> <hr style=3D"margin-top:10px"/>Looking for love= this summer? <a href=3D"http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=3Demlcntuslove0000= 0003">Find it now on AOL Personals</a>.</font></DIV></BODY></HTML> -------------------------------1246981988--