Plagiarism, Research Publications and Law

Plagiarism in scientific research has, in recent times, become a topic of discussion and concern in India. The core level of discussion has largely been driven by ethical considerations rather than by the relevant laws existing in the country such as the Copyright Act. Ethics can mean different things to different people and therefore issues related to legitimacy of one point of view as against another will always remain debatable. Punitive actions purely based on ethics may not be acceptable to all and may be difficult to implement, unless supported by law. Plagiarism is stealing someone's intellectual property, which is legally and morally untenable. In addition, it can cause economic disadvantage to the original author. The issue of plagiarism needs to be handled at a much higher level of academic, legal, political and social debate for enhancing the image of Indian research.