PLAGIARISM

According to Wikipedia, plagiarism is the act of taking another person's writing, conversation, song, or even idea and passing it off as your own. This includes information from web pages, books, songs, television shows, email messages, interviews, articles, artworks or any other medium. It occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. Plagiarism is a big deal, and it’s not something you want to find out about the hard way. It is a serious moral offence, and cases of plagiarism can constitute copyright infringement.

The consequences of plagiarism are far-reaching and no one is immune. Neither ignorance nor stature excuses a person from the ethical and legal ramifications of committing plagiarism. Many recent news reports and articles have exposed plagiarism by journalists, authors, public figures, and researchers. In the case where an author sues a plagiarist, the author may be granted monetary restitution. In the case where a journalist works for a magazine, newspaper or other publisher, or even if a student is found plagiarizing in school, the offending plagiarist could have to pay monetary penalties. For professors and researchers, plagiarism is punished by sanctions ranging from suspension to termination, along with the loss of credibility and perceived integrity.

Within academia, plagiarism by students, professors, or researchers is considered academic dishonesty or academic fraud, and offenders are subject to academic censure, up to and including expulsion. In journalism, plagiarism is considered a breach of journalistic ethics, and reporters caught plagiarizing typically face disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to termination of employment. Some individuals caught plagiarizing in academic or journalistic contexts claim that they plagiarized unintentionally, by failing to include quotations or give the appropriate citation.

             

There are several methods for avoiding plagiarism. The two most commonly used attribution systems are (a) a reference or works cited list at the end of the document, giving precise information about how to find a source and (b) parenthetical citations immediately following the material you are citing. If you use an author's specific word or words, you must place those words within quotation marks and you must credit the source. Plagiarism can be avoided when  every information or ideas are phrased and credit given to the original source. Proper scholarly procedures require that all quoted material be identified by quotation marks or indentation on the page, and the source of information and ideas, if from another, must be identified and be attributed to that source. Students are responsible for learning proper scholarly procedures (from Duke University's The Duke Community Standard in Practice: A Guide for Undergraduates).

              

Finally, plagiarism may appear more tempting but it can be avoided by including into your work additional sources or previous works done by other others. Incorporating a variety of sources can help deliver more unique work. In addition it is respectful when we expresses our appreciation for something done well enough to warrant our borrowing. We should take pride in the intellectual company we keep. It speaks well of us that we have chosen to use the work of intelligent, interesting people, and we can take genuine pleasure in joining our name with theirs.

References

Samuelson, Pamela (August 1994). "Self-plagiarism or fair use?".

“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices”. Princeton University. 2012-07-27 

”What is Plagiarism”. Stanford University. 2012-07-27