Module 6 Writing, Integrity, and the Postplagiarism Era

Read

As generative AI and emerging neurotechnologies become embedded in everyday life, our traditional notions of plagiarism, authorship, and academic misconduct are increasingly out of sync with reality. Scholar and academic integrity expert Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton offers a transformative framework for navigating this new era: postplagiarism.

In both her book Plagiarism in Higher Education (2021) and her more recent blog post on the Six Tenets of Postplagiarism, Eaton challenges us to move beyond outdated binary definitions of cheating. Her concept of postplagiarism does not reject integrity — it redefines it for an age in which writing is co-created by humans and machines, and in which detecting AI-generated text is increasingly unreliable, even impossible.

The Six Tenets of Postplagiarism

Hybrid Human-AI Writing Will Become Normal
In a postplagiarism era, hybrid authorship is the norm. Trying to trace where human writing ends and machine writing begins is no longer meaningful — or useful.
Human Creativity is Enhanced
AI is not a threat to creativity but a tool to extend it. Humans remain the imaginative, reflective, and ethical agents in the writing process.
Language Barriers Disappear
As translation and voice-to-text tools improve, language will be less of a barrier to communication. But this also raises questions about linguistic justice and cultural identity.
Humans Can Relinquish Control, but Not Responsibility
Even when using AI to generate text, the human remains accountable — for facts, accuracy, ethics, and purpose. We do not outsource responsibility.
Attribution Remains Important
Citing our sources and mentors is still essential. But Eaton pushes us to see attribution not just as a technical skill, but as intellectual caretaking — a way of honoring those we learn from.
Historical Definitions of Plagiarism No Longer Apply
Eaton suggests we may not need to rewrite definitions — we need to transcend them. Academic integrity in this era means rethinking authorship, ownership, and collaboration.

Beyond the Six Tenets: A Call for Transdisciplinary Ethics

In her 2023 article, Eaton expands the concept of postplagiarism to include brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and other neurotechnologies. She argues that educators must prepare for a future in which these tools — currently experimental — may be as common as smartphones. In such a world, she suggests, “the academic integrity arms race will be over,” not because students stop cheating, but because detection becomes impossible.

Instead of fighting technology, Eaton calls for transdisciplinary research and an ethics of education that centers equity, accountability, and care. As she writes:

“In a postplagiarism era, humans are challenged to grapple with questions about ethics and integrity for a socially just world at a time when advanced technologies… cannot be unbundled from everyday life.”

Reflect

How does Eaton’s framework shift your thinking about authorship, originality, or misconduct?
What are the implications of embracing "hybrid authorship" in your own discipline?
How might this lens help your students write, cite, and create with both integrity and agency?

Watch

If you have the time, I highly recommend watching Dr. Sarah Eaton's presentation "Academic Integrity in the Postplagiarism Age: How AI Can be Used Ethically for Teaching and Learning" (59:26):