The Volokh Conspiracy - Textbook Plagiarism? Or the Perils of Ghostwriting?

Today's New York Times has an interesting story about a common problem with elementary and high school textbooks: a lack of originality. The problem is not texts in given fields recount the same historical events -- one would hope there is substantial overlap in this regard -- but that, in at least one prominent case, they use virtually identical passages to describe the same events. While the texts are adorned with the names of prominent academics. it appears, have far less input over the eventual content of the textbooks than one might have thought.

Just how similar passages showed up in two books is a tale of how the largely obscure $4 billion a year world of elementary and high school textbook publishing often works, for these passages were not written by the named authors but by one or more uncredited writers. And while it is rare that the same language is used in different books, it is common for noted scholars to give their names to elementary and high school texts, lending prestige and marketing power, while lesser known writers have a hand in the books and their frequent revisions.

As editions pass, the names on the spine of a book may have only a distant or dated relation to the words between the covers, diluted with each successive edition, people in the industry, and even authors, say.

According to the publisher, the rush to update books with contemporary material after 9/11 was part of the cause.

Wendy Spiegel, a spokeswoman for Pearson Prentice Hall, which published both books and is one of the nation's largest textbook publishers, called the similarities "absolutely an aberration."

She said that after Sept. 11, 2001, her company, like other publishers, hastily pulled textbooks that had already been revised and were lined up for printing so that the terror attacks could be accounted for. The material on the attacks, as well as on the other subjects, was added by in-house editors or outside writers, she said.

She added that it was "unfortunate" that the books had identical passages, but said that there were only "eight or nine" in volumes that each ran about 1,000 pages.

Others quoted inthe story suggest there is a deeper problem with the practice of putting the names of prominent academics on textbooks that they may not have written. According to Gilbert Sewall of the American Textbook Council:

"The publishers have a brand name and that name sells textbooks. . . . That's why you have well-established authorities who put their names on the spine, but really have nothing to do with the actual writing process, which is all done in-house or by hired writers."

So instances like the above may simply be the perils of textbook publishing (at least in some fields).

William Cronon, a historian at the University of Wisconsin who wrote the American Historical Association's statement on ethics, said textbooks were usually corporate-driven collaborative efforts, in which the publisher had extensive rights to hire additional writers, researchers and editors and to make major revisions without the authors' final approval. The books typically synthesize hundreds of works without using footnotes to credit sources.

"This is really about an awkward and embarrassing situation these authors have been put in because they've got involved in textbook publishing," Professor Cronon said.

	[Jonathan Adler, July 13, 2006 at 8:30am] Trackbacks Textbook Plagiarism? Or the Perils of Ghostwriting? Today's New York Times has an interesting story about a common problem with elementary and high school textbooks: a lack of originality. The problem is not texts in given fields recount the same historical events -- one would hope there is substantial overlap in this regard -- but that, in at least one prominent case, they use virtually identical passages to describe the same events. While the texts are adorned with the names of prominent academics. it appears, have far less input over the eventual content of the textbooks than one might have thought. Just how similar passages showed up in two books is a tale of how the largely obscure $4 billion a year world of elementary and high school textbook publishing often works, for these passages were not written by the named authors but by one or more uncredited writers. And while it is rare that the same language is used in different books, it is common for noted scholars to give their names to elementary and high school texts, lending prestige and marketing power, while lesser known writers have a hand in the books and their frequent revisions. As editions pass, the names on the spine of a book may have only a distant or dated relation to the words between the covers, diluted with each successive edition, people in the industry, and even authors, say. According to the publisher, the rush to update books with contemporary material after 9/11 was part of the cause. Wendy Spiegel, a spokeswoman for Pearson Prentice Hall, which published both books and is one of the nation's largest textbook publishers, called the similarities "absolutely an aberration." She said that after Sept. 11, 2001, her company, like other publishers, hastily pulled textbooks that had already been revised and were lined up for printing so that the terror attacks could be accounted for. The material on the attacks, as well as on the other subjects, was added by in-house editors or outside writers, she said. She added that it was "unfortunate" that the books had identical passages, but said that there were only "eight or nine" in volumes that each ran about 1,000 pages. Others quoted inthe story suggest there is a deeper problem with the practice of putting the names of prominent academics on textbooks that they may not have written. According to Gilbert Sewall of the American Textbook Council: "The publishers have a brand name and that name sells textbooks. . . . That's why you have well-established authorities who put their names on the spine, but really have nothing to do with the actual writing process, which is all done in-house or by hired writers." So instances like the above may simply be the perils of textbook publishing (at least in some fields). William Cronon, a historian at the University of Wisconsin who wrote the American Historical Association's statement on ethics, said textbooks were usually corporate-driven collaborative efforts, in which the publisher had extensive rights to hire additional writers, researchers and editors and to make major revisions without the authors' final approval. The books typically synthesize hundreds of works without using footnotes to credit sources. "This is really about an awkward and embarrassing situation these authors have been put in because they've got involved in textbook publishing," Professor Cronon said.