Plagiarism in funding proposals—even inadvertent plagiarism—may result in significant sanctions that can derail your career. I am writing to let you know about a tool that can help you avoid a painful error.
A recent federal finding of plagiarism in a grant submission to NIH has prompted this communication. The case involved a distinguished researcher using verbatim unattributed text as a placeholder with the intention of revising the draft prior to the final submission. Ultimately, the revisions were overlooked and the final submission included the plagiarized text.
I am sharing this with all of you because it is highly relatable. We are all often pressed for time, manage simultaneous projects, and bear an immense amount of responsibility for our work and others. Regardless of your position or years of experience, an error in judgment can easily occur that may compromise the integrity of your research.
A protective measure available to you through the Graduate School is iThenticate, a software tool designed to detect plagiarism. While iThenticate is not intended to replace sound scholarly writing practices, it can provide an additional measure of scrutiny in advance of formal submissions.
Thank you for your continued dedication to your scholarly pursuits and commitment to the ethical conduct of research.
Sincerely,
Mary A. Steinhardt Associate Vice President for Research & Research Integrity Officer
This communication is from Principal Investigators – Official. View this email online.
