Can we put an end to plagiarism in Indonesia

Can we put an end to plagiarism in Indonesia

By Setiono

JAKARTA (JP): A serious intellectual crisis seems to have
struck the academic world here, centered on the fact that
plagiarism is now perceived as a common practice.

A recent report on a doctorate candidate of Gajah Mada
University accused of plagiarizing a student's thesis was
stunning. Two letters to this newspaper on Feb. 17 also accused a
lecturer in Bandung of plagiarism in an article appearing in The
Jakarta Post.

What is actually plagiarism? When is one said to have
committed plagiarism? Are there penalties that should be imposed
on those guilty of it?

In a book, The Logic and Rhetoric of Exposition, Harold C.
Martin said that a plagiarist can be compared to a bank embezzler
or a manufacturer who mislabels his product. Plagiarism can thus
be well defined as a deliberate attempt to copy someone's
intellectual enterprises without acknowledging or attributing the
sources.

Any paper or scientific work containing no direct or indirect
quote and no full acknowledgements of the original ideas can be
considered as an intellectual fraud.

There are two types of plagiarism commonly found within
intellectual circles. One is "word-for-word plagiarism".
Plagiarists include verbatim proportions of another's writing in
their work without enclosing the copied passage and identifying
it in a footnote.

Written products of this type can easily be compared to its
genuine work and obvious similarities in terms of content, style,
structural patterns, and choice of words or vocabulary can be
identified.

There are also plagiarized written works which are eloquently
and skillfully prepared by restating and abbreviating someone's
ideas or analyses without attribution to the source. This can be
called "paraphrased plagiarism".

Proving whether the latter type is indeed the result of honest
or deceitful effort is not easy given modifications in style and
choice of words; yet the content remains essentially the same.
Plagiarism in any form can impair one's intellectual property,
and can result in moral degradation.

Rampant plagiarism can be found in universities and colleges
where research and written assignments are the central agenda. In
fulfilling these tasks students are compelled to hold
responsibilities as a true scholar -- they should make clear what
is theirs and what is not.

Students should also realize that to copy another's work is to
defraud their university, and to act in a way morally
indistinguishable from any other form of deceit; and that to
intentionally misrepresent one's work is to show oneself
unprepared to assume the responsibility presupposed by work at
the college level. Such an act reflects immaturity in those
professing to be a member of the academic community.

The habit of copying another's work is deeply rooted in our
educational tradition. Teachers encourage students to provide
answers in line with material provided to be memorized. In doing
so they unwittingly leave students with an improper habit.

Plagiarism will keep mushrooming in the academic community as
long as there are no stern penalties against it.

A fundamental aim of higher education is the development of
intellectual honesty; hence plagiarism is indeed a serious
offense and punishment should be severe. Those guilty of the act
should be suspended or even expelled from their institutions or
universities. Further attempts to subversive academic enterprises
could then be immediately prevented.

The writer teaches at the English department of the School of
Education, Atmajaya Catholic University in Jakarta.