Plagiarism Paper

Plagiarism Paper

Michael Alford

Student ID: 82656

Liberty University

Clearly define plagiarism.

Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward. Research has shown us that plagiarism is made up of many intricate issues intentional and unintentional and can be viewed differently from one culture to the next. Why do people plagiarize? This question will probably be answered differently from each individual asked. However, lack of preparation and not feeling competent about a particular subject are just a few reasons why someone may plagiarize. As a college student, some of the reasons stated in www.plagiarism.org are examples that I can relate to. “According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means to: 1. steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own; 2. use (another's production) without crediting the source; 3. commit literary theft; and 4. present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (www.plagiarism.org).

Address why students plagiarize.

Intentional vs. unintentional plagiarism.

On plagiarism.org, it states that students may be intimidated by the quality of work found online, thinking their own work cannot compare. This is so true for me. I still at times think I could never measure up to what the experts think and sometimes after analyzing what I read I feel like they took my thoughts right out of my head. Another reason why students plagiarize is because they are too lazy to think. It’s easier to cut and paste the information in their paper to be finished with the assignment much quicker verses analyzing what was read to generate their own thoughts. This is what I call intentional plagiarism. As I read the information on plagiarism.org, I have gained some valuable knowledge and have been educated with a new outlook and confidence about making sure I properly reference cited work done by others. When writing papers...