Plagiarism and Copyright Violation: A Need of Information Literacy Framework towards Ethical Use of Information

Abstract

Plagiarism is an important ethical issue, but many researchers are still not aware of its seriousness. It is a general observation that plagiarism implies just copying or borrowing another’s work and original ideas. Terms such as ‘copying’ and ‘borrowing’ can misguide readers from the seriousness of this cognizable offense and lead them towards copyright violations. Both the teacher/guide and the librarian can play key role in reducing plagiarism by guiding students on how to use and cite proper sources of information through information literacy programs. This paper discusses the issue of plagiarism along with examples from the field of Arts and Humanities, and anti-plagiarism initiatives taken in India. The author suggests that to some extent plagiarism can be avoided with an information literacy programme, and this paper attempts to present information on this literacy framework.