But what about loss in revenues as a form of harm? Surely there is no loss of revenues when a student plagiarizes a paper. Neither does it reveal that taking ideas and using them in your own writing, with conventional attribution, is a sophisticated skill that requires a good deal of practice to master.
There are at least three important things to understand about the complexity of using sources. That process, which allows them to learn, involves little or no deceit. And third, expectations for citing sources vary among contexts and readers, making it not only confusing to learn the rules but impossible to satisfy them all.
Writers cannot say everything; they have to rely on readers to supply their own contribution to make meaning. One difficulty arises when you read an argument with unnamed steps. As a good reader, you fill them in so you can make sense of the argument. Now, if you were to write about those missing steps, would they be your ideas or those of your source?
Writers may reuse the ideas of others, but surely they know when they reuse words, so should they attribute them? Perhaps not. Words are not discrete entities that can be recombined in countless ways, rather, they fall into patterns that serve certain ways of thinking, the very ways of thinking or habits of mind that we try to instill in students.
The fact is that language is formulaic, meaning that certain words commonly occur together. Those are called collocations. Student writers need to acquire and use a great number of them in academic writing.
What this means is that not every verbatim reuse is plagiarism. Moreover, imposing strict rules against word reuse may function to prevent student writers from learning to write in their fields. When student writers reuse patterns of words without attribution in an attempt to learn how to sound like a journalist, say, or a biologist, or a literary theorist, it is called patchwriting.
In fact, not only student writers but all writers patch together pieces of text from sources, using their own language to sew the seams, in order to learn the language of a new field. Despite this lack of attribution, much research has shown that patchwriting is not deceitful and therefore should not be punished. In fact, some scholars are interested in exploring how writing teachers could use the concept of patchwriting to help student writers develop their own writing skills.
The third reason that it is not always easy to acknowledge sources is that expectations for referencing vary widely and what counts as plagiarism depends on context. Journalists typically do not supply citations, although they have fact checkers making sure their claims are accurate. In business, people often start their reports by cutting and pasting earlier reports without attribution.
And in the academy, research has shown that the reuse of words in science articles is much more common and accepted than it is in the humanities. They may even notice that their university lifted the wording of its plagiarism policy from another institution! While most people feel that plagiarism deserves punishment, some understand that plagiarism is not necessarily deceitful or deserving censure. Three steps to learning about plagiarism It's important to know what plagiarism is, and what form it takes some common types of plagiarism are listed here.
See next: Common forms of plagiarism. Why do I need to know about plagiarism? Plagiarism is unethical for three reasons: Firstly, it is unethical because it is a form of theft. Secondly, it is unethical because the plagiariser subsequently benefits from this theft. If a student gains employment on the basis of a qualification they have not earned, they may be a risk to others.
Expand menu for What is plagiarism? Common forms of plagiarism How does plagiarism happen? Avoiding plagiarism Other plagiarism resources Writing skills Critical thinking Reading and note-taking Exam preparation More resources Workshops and courses Contacts and appointments. See also Contract cheating.
Those who write for a living, such as journalists or authors, are particularly susceptible to plagiarism issues. Those who write frequently must be ever-vigilant not to err. Writers are well-aware of copyright laws and ways to avoid plagiarism. As a professional writer, to plagiarize is a serious ethical and perhaps legal issue. 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. Plagiarized research is an especially egregious form of plagiarism. This kind of plagiarism is particularly heinous. 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.
Before attempting any writing project, learn about plagiarism. Find out what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. The rules are easy to understand and follow. If there is any question about missing attribution, try using an online plagiarism checker or plagiarism detection software to check your writing for plagiarism before turning it in.
Laziness or dishonesty can lead to a ruined reputation, the loss of a career, and legal problems.
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