Plagiarization, seriously?

[davidgillon]

So last night the plagiarizer agreed to publish a specific form of wording (thanks to legionseagle

 for advice) acknowledging he'd copied my work. Today I needed some time away from it, so I've spent my day buried in DWP stats. At 5:30 I spotted a message from a friend that implied he had posted something that wasn't what was expected. On checking I found he'd used the older form he'd proposed, but it still acknowledges that he used my article and presented it as his. Which he'd wrapped in about a page of text protesting that this wasn't actually plagiarism.

So I noted that this wasn't the agreed wording, pointing out what that was.

And he's been whinging constantly ever since. Apparently it was completely unreasonable of me not to be on Facebook all day, even though everything was agreed last night. (He sent a message at 04:57 saying he'd changed his mind) And it wasn't his fault. And it wasn't plagiarization. And noting what he'd agreed to say was unfair.

At this point I trust his behaviour so little I've screenshotted his statement in case he changes it later.

You would think I was dealing with a whining teenager who won't admit he was caught. He's actually a serving soldier.

Comments

[sovay]

At this point I trust his behaviour so little I've screenshotted his statement in case he changes it later.

Good call. (I just caught up on this story.) None of that is cool. Also, what is it with the plagiarization going around lately?

[davidgillon]

I know, last thing I expected was to find myself facing the same problem as Courtney Milan and half of Romancelandia. The stupidity factor seems a constant, though.

[sovay]

The stupidity factor seems a constant, though.

It was a factor the time I got plagiarized and the time someone plagiarized a startling quantity of the Strange Horizons poetry backlog. The contortionate excuses seem to go along with it.

[davidgillon]

Umm, true.

Though I still think "My ghostwriter did it" raises the bar for career-killing stupidity!

[sovay]

Though I still think "My ghostwriter did it" raises the bar for career-killing stupidity!

I admit I hadn't seen it before!

[green_knight]

That sounds decidedly unfun.

[davidgillon]

Yeah, it largely ruined my weekend, which was supposed to be spent editing, not chasing plagiarists.

[green_knight]

I tend to encounter plagiarists with my editor hat on, and it's never fun, but having your words stolen by a petulant manchild is an extra level of insult. (I don't think there's more plagiarism going on, I think we're getting better at catching them.)

My record is finding [oddly worded paragraph from my mss] in THREE published sources.

You are so not alone.

[davidgillon]

Ugh, sympathy!

[sovay]

My record is finding [oddly worded paragraph from my mss] in THREE published sources.

Condolences!

[sovay]

Yeah, it largely ruined my weekend, which was supposed to be spent editing, not chasing plagiarists.

*hugs*

[davidgillon]

Thanks, am editing now.

[yhlee]

Oh man, sympathies. :(

[davidgillon]

Thanks, Yoon.

[alexseanchai]

blugh

[davidgillon]

That's about the best summary I've seen!