German defense minister learns about the dark side of plagiarism

In case you need a reminder that plagiarism doesn’t pay, meet Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. The German defense minister, who is a rising political star in the country and makes our career look like the joke it is, resigned over allegations that he pilfered large parts of his doctoral thesis. ”I informed the chancellor in a very friendly conversation that I’m resigning from political offices and requested to be relieved. It’s the most painful step of my life,” he said. He admitted to “grave errors” in the 2007 thesis, but emphasized that he did not plagiarize it. However, this goes against what German media found – scores of pilfered phrases from other documents. The end result? Guttenberg no longer has a doctorate. On the plus side, we’re now on the same playing field as he is. source

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