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Plagiarism policies have ‘chilling effect’ on student speech and research
Vague and overly-broad academic integrity policies hinder learning and infringe on student rights
Sharing writing with peers is an essential part of the writing process. This is true no matter one’s level of ability. Sharing is often the end goal of writing, whether it is an assignment for class, a business letter, blog post, tweet, or academic article submitted for publication. As Paulo Coelho puts it, “Writing means sharing. It’s part of the human condition to want to share things — thoughts, ideas, opinions.”
Sharing one’s writing is no less an essential part of the academic research and writing process. One typical ‘life cycle’ of a published academic paper might be to present it at a conference, then receive questions and feedback from peers which can be used to improve the paper for publication. A paper accepted for publication will be read by reviewers and editors who work with the writer to improve arguments, correct errors, clarify logic, and so forth. At any point in this process, the academic writer (a graduate student or professor perhaps) might seek the advice of peers or mentors. The act of reading and offering feedback on the writing of a peer or mentee is itself valuable in honing one’s writing skills.
