Sir
I agree wholeheartedly with your Editorial “Clamp down on copycats” (Nature 438, 2; 2005) stating that universities need to instruct students in the standards that are expected of them.
I have no doubt that some writers set out to deceive. But I wonder how much plagiarism takes place because people may not be aware of what they are doing? Librarians can make a real contribution to promoting good academic practice, by teaching about referencing and how to use reference management software. We can help academic and research colleagues in the rigorous instruction that you rightly advocate.
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Nockels, K. Librarians can help prevent accidental plagiarism. Nature 438, 422 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/438422d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/438422d
