Post Academic


First, Plagiarism. Next, Rick Astley?

Posted in Breaking Academic Stereotypes,Surviving Grad School by Caroline Roberts on November 6, 2010
Tags: , ,

Rickroll (Internet meme): To link to a web video that promises to reveal extraordinary footage, only to connect your user to a video clip of the 1987 music video “Never Gonna Give You Up” by the high-haired, deep-voiced pop singer Rick Astley.

If you are one of the three people on the planet who do not know what “rickrolling” is, imagine that you think you’re going to click on a never-aired Internet video involving Brett Favre’s little Viking, and you get this:

“Rickrolling” is one of the milder ways to punk someone on the Internet. But did you know that some students are punking their profs with text Rickrolls?

A student snuck an acrostic version of several lyrics from “Never Gonna Give You Up” in a paper and is eagerly awaiting the results.

So, professors among you, read the papers all the way through, and be vigilant regarding the Rickroll.

4 Responses to 'First, Plagiarism. Next, Rick Astley?'

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  1. LOL, I’d love a student who did this. It reminds me of PhD Challenge — have you seen that?

  2. Len said,

    Brilliant! This is topped only by the scholarly feats of Herbert Schlangemann:

    http://diehimmelistschoen.blogspot.com/


  3. Oh wow … thank you guys for the tips. Glad to know that Rickrolling doesn’t just involve Rick Astley. Those are awesome …


  4. […] subversive element is everywhere. Over at Post Academic, they did a fine investigative report on the student who Rickrolled a paper (see illustration below). And now that I’m not teaching, I can admit that I think it’s […]


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