Sounds like a bit of jargon, doesn’t it? It probably qualifies as such but what the term refers to is of interest. Researchers in the 50s who were trying to explain criminal behavior coined the phrase which describes “justifications for deviance that are seen as valid by the delinquent but not by the legal system or society as large.” (These researchers, Sykes and Matza, are quoted on p. 295 in the article referenced below). If deviant actions can be justifiable then the offender avoids moral culpability.
Blog » Academic Integrity
Beyond the Prohibitions: Teaching Students not to Plagiarize
Posted Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 by Maryellen Weimer“I don’t think teachers teach it well enough. I don’t think they teach well enough citing, and what to do, and how to take the words, and how many words you can take without being considered plagiarism. They just say, ‘Don’t plagiarize.’ But they never tell you what to do to not plagiarize.” (p. 655)
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