UK Journalism Professor Labunski Speaks Out About Research Used Without Credit

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 30, 2012) — A University of Kentucky journalism professor has written a detailed account of how an author used his research without attribution, something scholars say happens often but is rarely discussed publicly. 

Richard Labunski, a professor in UK's School of Journalism and Telecommunications, published a 4,000-word essay on the History News Network (HNN) arguing that Chris DeRose, a Phoenix lawyer and political consultant, used data that Labunski had gathered without acknowledgment and that he did so deliberately. The story was subsequently picked up by Inside Higher Education.

Labunski’s book, "James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights" (Oxford University Press, 2006), tells the story of how Madison overcame numerous obstacles to see the first 10 amendments become part of the Constitution. A key section of Labunski’s book focuses on the 1789 election between Madison and James Monroe for a seat in the U.S. House in the First Congress. Madison won by a small margin, allowing him to introduce the Bill of Rights....