Dr. David Agus was accused of plagiarizing portions of “The Book of Animal Secrets,” prompting him to ask publisher Simon & Schuster to recall the book Monday.
The Los Angeles Times reported Monday it found “at least” 95 passages in the book that were not credited but resembled text that first appeared elsewhere. It said that, at times, the passages were word for word.
“The passages in question range in length from a sentence or two to several continuous paragraphs,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “The sources borrowed from without attribution include publications such as the New York Times and National Geographic, scientific journals, Wikipedia and the websites of academic institutions.”
“The book also leans heavily on uncredited material from smaller and lesser-known outlets,” it said.
Agus said Monday he was “recently made aware that in writing The Book of Animal Secrets we relied upon passages from various sources without attribution, and that we used other authors’ words.”
He said he takes claims of plagiarism seriously and has asked the book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, to halt publication and distribution of the book. He said he will rewrite the passages in question, provide “proper and full attribution” and release a revised edition in the future. A release date for the updated book has not yet been announced.
“I want to sincerely apologize to the scientists and writers whose work or words were used or not fully attributed,” Agus said in a statement.
“Writers should always be credited for their work, and I deeply regret these mistakes and the lack of rigor in finalizing the book,” he said.
Simon & Schuster, a subsidiary of News’ parent company Paramount Global, said Agus decided – with its full support – to recall the book at his own expense “until a fully revised and corrected edition can be released.” The company has ceased distribution and advised its retail and distribution partners to return copies.
“We take these matters seriously, as does the author, and regret that these errors were included in the initial editions of the book,” Simon & Schuster said in a statement Monday.
Agus is a News contributor and reports on a broad range of medical topics for News’ broadcasts. He previously authored the “The End of Illness,” “A Short Guide to a Long Life,” and “The Lucky Years: How to Thrive in the Brave New World of Health.”
A spokesperson said, “We are reviewing the situation with Dr. Agus’ book.”
“As a news organization, we take accusations of plagiarism seriously,” the spokesperson said Monday. “Dr. Agus is not currently scheduled to make any upcoming appearances on our air.”