Imagine: Author Makes Up Quotations

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I actually feel a bit sad for him, I sort of understand how the pressure (along with his ethics) caused what I'm sure he thought of as a minor issue or creative writing turned into a major issue. This to me is the main danger in the Creative Non-Fiction world and as a writer it much be constantly considered and managed such that this sort of thing does not happen.

What I don't get is why he bothered to doctor the quotes. The changes don't seem to significantly alter the meaning, they just perhaps sharpen the focus to match his thesis. At least that's what I glean from the articles detailing the alterations.

I don't feel sad for him. I don't know how anyone could think that altering quotes is a small thing. He could have paraphrased and interpreted the words however he saw fit; inventing them, though, is just wrong.

Although I don't know the ins and outs of the earlier self-plagiarism issue with this author, on the surface that seems somewhat understandable. But this latest deception does not.

[kennyc]

Agreed Catlady. Seems not worth the change to me. ...