Academic plagiarism and piracy: from Mizner to the Brazilian Criminal Code

Abstract

The American playwright Wilson Mizner once said: "if you steal from one author, it's plagiarism; if you steal from many, it's research" (BRAINY QUOTES, 2020). For the Brazilian Criminal Code, regardless of the number of sources, plagiarism is a crime. Stealing an idea is stealing an asset. Throughout my professional life in academia, one of the biggest challenges I have faced is judging and evaluating students' and peers' lack of referencing in academic research. Is this phenomenon a case of bad faith or a mere lack of knowledge of academic norms?