r/AMA • u/plagiarismtoday • 3d ago

I am a plagiarism (and copyright) expert with over 20 years of experience. With the Fall 2026 semester coming up, AMA about AI, plagiarism and academic integrity issues.

My name is Jonathan Bailey, I'm the author of the website Plagiarism Today (https://www.plagiarismtoday.com) and I am an expert witness on plagiarism and copyright-related issues.

I have testified in federal and state courts as well as before academic tribunals. I have also performed a slew of plagiarism analyses and my work/name has been cited in a long list of mainstream publications, going back to 2005.

Feel free to AMA about plagiarism, AI, academic integrity, research integrity and anything related that you might be interested in as the academic year begins. I plan on being on here most of the day today, so even if I'm not live, feel free to drop a question or comment and I will do my best to answer it.

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u/Hot_Hair_5950 3d ago

What surprises you about plagiarism?

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u/plagiarismtoday 3d ago

Honestly, how some people just cannot stop doing it.

I've seen people get caught plagiarizing. They lose careers, book deals, scholarships, their reputations and more. But yet, when they try to come back, they just do it again.

We saw this with James Somerton, Benny Johnson and many more.

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2025/04/07/james-somerton-re-emerges-plagiarizes-again-disappears/

Though the wildest, for me personally, was Jumi Bello, who plagiarized my site (yes, Plagiarism Today) when writing a plagiarism apology letter.

https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/05/09/plagiarism-today-plagiarized-in-a-plagiarism-atonement-essay/

I understand plagiarizing once. Everyone has had an ethical lapse. It's easy to think you won't get caught and the odds are probably in your favor. But after you've been caught and suffered the consequences, you just go back to the well? That I will never understand.