Quotations in Academic Works

The permissibility of quotations in academic works may be discussed and examined from different perspectives: a copyright perspective (which focuses on the conflict between quotation and infringement of copyright) and an ethical perspective (focusing on the issue of academic reliability). This article contains analysis of the legal status of quotations in the light of Polish Copyright Act of 4th of February 1994, in particular, the prerequisites of the right to use quotations established in Art. 29 of the above act. In a nutshell, it may be concluded that copyright law permits one to quote from other works without the establishment of strict rules and restraints (especially quantitative) in this respect. A flexible approach has been adopted: the permissibility of a quotation is subject to its adequacy for its specific purpose of revealing an explanation, critical or scientific analysis. There are no specific requirements regarding quotations in academic works. These works are specific in that their character and function permit quotes to a greater extent than in other categories of works.

Scientific Plagiarism – Infringement of the Authorship Right

The authorship of work and the authorship of scientific findings do not always go together. Although the law on higher education and science introduces that popularly repeated Iine. According to that regulation, a misappropriation of the authorship of a substantial part of a copyrightable work or of the authorship of a substantial scientific finding provides grounds for the withdrawal of a scientific degree. Copyright law establishes rules under which a person who commits plagiarism can be held liable in civil and criminal court. Not only at the stage (ex post) of the withdrawal of a scientific degree and the redress of copyright infringement (e.g. retraction of an article, compensation), but even at the stage of the creation (ex ante) of scientific content one should achieve the conditions of research integrity regarding the use of one’s own and third party scientific works. Aside from the use of plagiarism checker software, we need to educate the next generations of scientists, disseminate appropriate rules of co-authorship (code of ethics for scientific research) and act against any attempts of falsifying research. In addition to plagiarism, this article also discusses the rules of citation and co-authorship.