Understanding Plaigiarism

Understanding Plagiarism

Since man has learned to express himself with both verbal and written communications, a problem has arisen. That problem is plagiarism. In order to avoid plagiarism, it is necessary to is the define what plagiarism is. The website dictionary dot com, has defined plagiarism as follows:

“Plagiarism: 1. the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, as by not crediting the author: It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne. Synonyms: appropriation, infringement, piracy, counterfeiting; theft, borrowing, cribbing, passing off. 2. something used and represented in this manner” (Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition 2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)

Plagiarism is a particular concern today since man has more and more means to express himself. When communicating, it is critical to make sure that one does not plagiarize intentionally or unintentionally. The best way to make sure that plagiarism is not occurring is to understand all the ways in which plagiarism is possible and to then check your writing or speech to make sure that it has been avoided. An excellent source for learning about plagiarism is Plagiarism dot org. (iParadigms, LLC, http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html)

Plagiarism can occur in many facets. Plagiarism dot org says that plagiarism can be as simple as “borrowing someone’s ideas without giving them credit”, to intentionally stealing someone’s work and passing it off as your own. (iParadigms,LLC, http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html) Students are the most apt offenders, since they are writing and researching papers more than your average citizen. Students may commit plagiarism for many reasons. The reasons can...