As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, plagiarism is : the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person : the act of plagiarizing something. A person who takes something that someone else thought up, and attempts to pass it off as their own, usually does so because they think it will be easier than actually putting the effort forth for an original thought themselves. Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is stealing, and, if caught doing so, the offender will face consequences. Generally, writing papers is the primary avenue for plagiarism, so affects college students in greater numbers than anyone. In college, a student could be expelled of the offense is severe enough. The pressure to receive a good grade prompts students to write papers that they've copied from a source, neglect to state their information is from that author, and present the ideas as their own. Not only does this action affect how much the student has actually learned from having to do the actual research on a subject, but, if caught, that student's college career could forever be marked.
In my time in school, both grade school and college, I can't say that I've ever intentially committed plagiarism. I am sure though, that when writing papers, I may have read paragraphs and changed words around just enough to not "copy" word for word. Since this practice is considered plagiarism at some level, I suppose I am guilty. I am aware while writing papers, however, that I must use my own ideas, or give credit to those I've taken my information from, so I have been very careful to proof-read, and proof-read again anything I've written before I turn it in. Not all people are so consciencous of that though, and I've actually been in a class where someone turned in a plagiarized paper and was caught and dismissed from class. I think the repercussions are greater in the college setting, but it still doesn't deter people from doing it, becasue its easy and they think they can get away with it.
Cheating on any level is wrong, both morally, and ethically. Plagiaizing a paper, cheating on a test, taking credit from something you didn't do, for whatever reason, impacts everyone. I will admit it, when I was in grade school, I know I tried to cheat on tests a few times. Writing on our palms in ink was a popular attempt at cheating among classmates, so when I tried it, it proved to be fruitless since all the words were smudged by the time I had the test. Without the aid of cell phones like kids nowadays, we relied on little "cheat sheets" with vocab words, defitions, whatever we thought we needed to know. More times than not, though, nothing we took the time to write out was included on the test, so it was all for nothing! By the time I reached junior high, the stress and lack of success steered me on the path of just studying and using my brain for tests. I can remember when I was in the 7th grade, there was a boy who sat next to me that cheated off me for every one of our tests. He played football, was always practicing, and claimed he just didn't have time to study. He begged me to let him look at my answers, and being the push-over that I am, I allowed him to. The risk of both of us getting caught and punished was always on my mind, and I know that because I was trying to keep from being seen by the teacher, make sure he could see my answers, and actually answer the questions for myself, I didn't always have the focus I needed to get the best grade. I finally got the courage to tell him I wouldn't allow him to copy anymore, so the very next text we took, he came in to class with all the test answers written in blue ink across the bottoms of both his size 10 white high-top tennis shoes! He apparently would go to any length to pass, except actaully study!!
People work hard and should be given the credit they deserve, no matter what. Most people aren't looking for a pat on the back for everything they accomplish, but recognition for a good idea that they came up with is important. Now that I have been in the business world awhile, I see daily what importance giving credit where it is due has. Thankfully, I no longer work with a person who didn't have a brain in her head, knew how to manipulate those around her for her own advancement, and was just down-right annoying. When she came to my office, we worked together daily, and bacame friends, or so I thought. Little did I know, everything she and I discussed about work, the ideas I had about things, and just my general knowledge about our job, she was talking to our boss, relating those ideas to him without my knowledge, and passing them off as her own! It was very frustrating watching her get recognition for my work, and since she had passed them off as her ideas, I couldn't figure out how to take my due credit for them without sounding catty. That was when I learned not to share anything with her, and without my help, she stumbled. Our boss left for a new job, I wouldn't help her any longer, and it became very clear to everyone that she wasn't as smart as she had portrayed herself. The "story" she created fell apart, and when it didn't work in her favor any longer, she left the company. The only benefit any of this served was that it compelled me to speak up with my ideas, which got me recognized for what I know, and allowed for me to be promoted to a higher position with more responsibility.
Plagiarism, cheating, stealing ideas at your job, cheating on your spouse, fudging your taxes, all of these things affect society in one form or another. If someone cheats, and gets away with it, they make it alright with their conscience, and when they cheat again, each time it is for a bigger result. If guilt alone could curb cheating, no one would do it, but since some feel the reward is greater than the risk, there will always be people out there taking what doesn't belong to them. If it's not yours, its not alright to use it, unless you recognize who's it is. End of story!
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