Intellectual property and the internet

Abstract

From my recent experience of teaching and assessing, and attending national and international medical education conferences, it has become clear to me that the ease of search and replication, occasional absence of details such as date, copyright notice or an obvious author, coupled with the fact that Google is a search engine and not a repository of free images, is poorly understood by clinical students, clinicians and academics alike. All are arguably aware of the implications of plagiarism and the importance of permission and acknowledgement for the contribution made in research and publications.