Re: self plagiarism

Pamela Samuelson inquired about self-plagiarism, a troublesome issue that arises in several contexts. I first became attuned to this issue in one form when I wrote a biography of Edward S. Corwin, one of this century's leading constitutional commentators. For that book, I also assembled a comprehensive bibliography of his writings. Corwin wrote twenty-three books and nearly 200 articles. He also contributed to dozens of other books and penned 150 book reviews. By any measure, he was highly accomplished. But I also noticed many similarities among the works, beyond the usual article that later appears as a chapter of a book. Many of his writings were variations of one another. They were often rewritten to legitimately reach a different audience, but I do not recall many instances of a customary reference or citation to the earlier works. I am not accusing Corwin of plagiarism or any impropriety. I am, however, still curious about the possibility of changing expectations and standards regarding "self-plagiarism." I also have not investigated the issue with respect to Corwin's copyrights; I do not know whether he was in the 1920s and 1930s routinely assigning copyrights to publishers--as we now do. Prof. Samuelson is embarking on an important issue that takes many forms and that may even evoke different responses in different eras.

Kenneth D. Crews
Associate Professor of Business Law
San Jose State University Received on Wed Sep 22 1993 - 22:27:11 GMT