ISA Policy and Procedures on Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the expropriation of another author’s published, unpublished, or in progress work and the representation of it as one’s own [1]. It constitutes a serious breech of professional and academic ethics.

A member of the International Studies Association (ISA) who believes his or her work presented at an ISA conference has been plagiarized in any forum, or who believes his or her research has been plagiarized in a paper presented at an ISA conference, may make a formal compliant to the Committee on Professional Rights and Responsibilities (PRRC) of the ISA. Plagiarism in ISA-sponsored journals will be handled by the journals directly under their own procedures.

Upon receipt of a formal compliant, the PRRC will investigate the alleged plagiarism. All proceedings and communications will be held under strict confidentiality. The member who believes his or her work was plagiarized must provide detailed and specific supporting evidence. The alleged plagiarist will be given equal opportunity to present his or her case and countervailing evidence. The PRRC may request additional information, consult other scholars or legal counsel as necessary, or acquire additional evidence on its own initiative.

If after investigation the PRRC concludes the charge is substantiated, it will report its finding of plagiarism and a recommended sanction to the Executive Committee of the ISA for final decision. If the Executive Committee concurs with the finding of plagiarism, it may by simple majority vote impose appropriate sanctions on the plagiarist.

[1] This definition is drawn from the statement of the American Historical Association. In cases of ambiguity, the AHA discussion will be guiding in the deliberations of the PRRC. Complete text available at here (accessed May 16, 2007).