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Re: (off-topic) self-plagiarism



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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 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@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx            *    when you stop trying"
     http://www.inf.u-szeged.hu/~tothl        *