Two Men Talking in a Tavern (detail), Jean Charles Meissonier (1848-1917)
I'm a cognitive scientist who studies and writes about language and communication. As an experimental psychologist, I conduct research with my students on discourse, pragmatics, and nonliteral language. I also try to share research on these topics with a broader audience.
Specifically, I have authored or co-authored several books for the general public on a variety of topics. These include second language learning in adulthood, cross-cultural communication, language and aging, and irony and sarcasm.
In 2023, I published two more books: one on miscommunication and one on language and identity. And Strikingly Similar, my book about plagiarism and appropriation, was published in January 2026 by Cambridge University Press.
Information about all of my books can be found under the "Books" and "Reviews" sections of this website.
I also write for The Conversation and contribute monthly articles about language and communication to Psychology Today. Links to these pieces can be found under "Articles/interviews."
April 2026 update: Praise for Strikingly Similar
What plagiarism is and has been, and what it may be in the process of becoming, are questions addressed by Roger Kreuz in a bouncy new book titled “Strikingly Similar” (Cambridge) . . . In the absence of cops, you get vigilantes, and Kreuz has a fine chapter, “The Plagiarism Hunters,” that details the thrilling activities of the truth-tracking industry.
-Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
His book canters through 20 centuries of plagiarism, from musical plagiarism (Bob Dylan) to literary plagiarism (Dylan Thomas), oratorical plagiarism (Joe Biden) and all-of-the-above plagiarism.
-The Economist
Engagingly fact-packed survey of plagiarism through the ages . . . he has some interesting things to say about what might motivate someone to pass off another person’s work as their own, from an act of homage to the assumption that whatever exists is fair game for being plundered or reworked . . . Kreuz also points out that unjustified accusations of plagiarism can stall careers and blight lives . . . in a particularly eye-opening section of his book, [he shows] how few people can recognise glaringly obvious examples of plagiarism, and even when they do how little they care.
-Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, The Times of London
Roger Kreuz’s "Strikingly Similar" is valuable precisely because it refuses to treat plagiarism as a self-evident sin. Instead, it tracks how similarity becomes actionable: what counts as copying, who is authorized to name it, and what institutional work the accusation performs . . . "Strikingly Similar" offers an indispensable archive and a lucid set of mechanisms for thinking about similarity across time.
- Zheng Wang, Critical Inquiry
Roger Kreuz’s book burrows into the history of plagiarism and its complicated cousin, appropriation, to try to tell us how we got here . . . "Strikingly Similar" is at its best when it drops big names into juicy plagiarism debates.
-Tom Gatti, The Observer (What to Read This Week)
Kreuz’s style is engaging, and he has a nice way of telling a story.
-Dennis Duncan, The Spectator
A wide-ranging investigation of plagiarism as both a psychological and cultural phenomenon. Surveying famous examples across history, he spotlights plagiarists’ reasonings, litigates whether the charge of plagiarism is really warranted in some cases, and explores whether the idea of “unconscious plagiarism” is scientifically plausible. . . . full of entertaining anecdotes, this is a thorough overview of current understandings of plagiarism’s motivations and its role in artistic production.
-Publishers Weekly
Integrating anecdotes with meaningful discussion points, he guides readers through a comprehensive examination of various elements of plagiarism, drawing on examples from diverse fields, including literature, cartography, music, politics, and academia . . . VERDICT: engaging and thought-provoking, this accessible study of plagiarism offers a nuanced perspective on a complex topic. Readers will enjoy the journey and may be left contemplating viewpoints they hadn’t previously considered.
-Jennifer Moore, Library Journal (starred review)
The murkier motives of those who plagiarise simply for money, out of laziness, or because they know – probably, Kreuz surmises, correctly – that they are unlikely to be caught make for grimmer reading . . . Kreuz makes it clear that the psychology of inspiration works in a way that strict rules and regulations will never be fully fit for, but he also makes a case for why it matters.
-Alice Wickenden, History Today
Kreuz offers hundreds of examples of plagiarism, noting correctly that the term itself is problematic since it seems to cover everything from flawed footnotes by scholars to the outright stealing of melodies by songwriters (or “sampling,” as some would have it) . . . "Strikingly Similar" is that rare book: entertaining, comprehensive, and relevant. Don’t sleep on it!
-Jim Kelly, Air Mail (Editor's Pick)
Shows the extent to which artists and politicians appropriate material from others, from Melania Trump to Bob Dylan.
-London Standard (The Big Read)
The American academic Roger Kreuz . . . has written this informative and entertaining history of plagiarism in its many forms.
-Mark Mason, The Critic
A treasure trove of plagiarism through the ages . . . with the increased sampling of music, the digitisation of books and the rise of chatbots churning out text, Kreuz wonders if we are now entering an era where appropriation is seen as a new and valid form of creation.
-Glenda Cooper, The Mail on Sunday
Given the sheer volume of creative works rolling off the assembly line, Kreuz estimates that the perpetrators are decisively beating the detectives . . . Kreuz theorizes that the guiltless ease with which we can all violate copyright online makes plagiarism feel more acceptable.
-William Rice, Washington Independent Review of Books
This has been a very interesting read. I strongly recommend anybody who is concerned about plagiarism, or ghostwriting around the world to read it. This is of as much interest to the general public, as to researchers at the top of this field.
-Anna Faktorovich, Anaphora Literary Press