Plagiarism 101
We’ve had an interesting discussion over at Get Paid to Write Online on the subject of plagiarism. One of the points that L.L. Woodard makes in the comments to that article is that it is likely that many bloggers and Internet writers may not be familiar with plagiarism and copyright laws. I agree that this is a possibility, but I have to admit that it strikes me as a bit of a foreign concept. After all, haven’t we all been told since grade school that it isn’t right to copy from someone else’s paper?
I suggest to you that plagiarism is rampant on the Internet, and in the rest of the world, as well. Even high-ranking political officials have been found guilty of plagiarism in recent days.
What Is plagiarism?
In its most basic sense, plagiarism is using someone else’s language, ideas, or other original material without acknowledging its source. This definition is quite broad, however, and many Internet writers may not take the time to delve any further into the question than just to say, “Well, I wrote this. It belongs to me, it’s my ‘original material.’” So, let’s’ get into some examples of plagiarism:
- Cutting and pasting a sentence, paragraph, or whole article from another source and posting it to an article submission web site without attributing it to its author
- Doing the same and posting it to your blog
- Using a line of argument identical to another author’s line of argument. For example, if another author lists “16 ways to skin a cat” and you write an article on the same topic using the same 16 ways, that is plagiarism.
Academic plagiarism vs. non-academic plagiarism
In the academic world, plagiarism is serious business. While policies will differ from one setting to the next, you can expect to be expelled from the academic setting if you are found guilty of plagiarism on more than a single occasion, with some schools having a zero-tolerance policy.
In other settings, such as with Internet writing, there are fewer penalties. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will generally be asked to remove the material. If you choose not to remove it, the owner of the material must go through the courts, via a civil lawsuit, to get you to remove it. Except for rare exceptions, no one is going to come pounding on your door if you plagiarize.
How common is Plagiarism in Internet writing?
All too common. It is so common, in fact, that there are even services such as CopyScape that serve the sole purpose of guarding your writing, and finding copies of it on the Internet.
Last Monday, June Campbell over at Writing from Vancouver covered a software product that does what CopyScape does. I’m not familiar with it, but its existence speaks to the size of the market.
Why plagiarism matters
Plagiarism matters to the Internet writer for several reasons:
- First, plagiarism demonstrates a lack of character. Whether or not you are every caught, the fact that you plagiarize speaks to your personal integrity.
- Plagiarism generally hurts both the victim and the plagiarizer, in that search engines tend to ignore pages that have content that is substantially identical to other web sites.
- There is the risk that, if you are caught, you could be taken to court and sued.
- Once you have plagiarized, word will spread quicker than you think. Even if you don’t get sued, you will lose opportunities for work.
Accidental plagiarism
It does happen, from time to time, that an Internet writer might plagiarize unintentionally. Here are some things that you can do to avoid plagiarism in your writing:
- If possible, make certain to attribute your sources when writing on the Internet.
- When it isn’t possible to attribute sources, such as when submitting to certain article directories, make certain that you substantially contribute your own thoughts to the article. Don’t just restate the ideas of the original; rethink it, and reinterpret the original, making the ideas your own.
- Spend some time learning more about what constitutes plagiarism. Several sources for further reading are listed below.
- Consider using a service such as CopyScape yourself, to check your own writing.
Here are some excellent resources for learning more about how to avoid plagiarism:
http://www.csub.edu/ssric-trd/howto/plagiarism.htm
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/citations.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
Comments
4 Responses to “Plagiarism 101”
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Bob, this post is an excellent complement to my original post on the issue. You’ve provided really clear guidance and some helpful resources. Feel free to drop by my post and leave a link in the comments.
This is a great explanation of plagiarism. I think a lot of writers who are just starting out assume that if something is on the web, then it’s fair game for anyone to use. I’ve had to explain to several people who’ve “poached” my articles that I still hold the copyright even if the material is on a public site.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Debra. It is unfortuate, but it is true. I guess we writers just need to do what we can to make sure everyone understands, eh?
Excellent & informative & I’m thrilled to have found you (via your wife’s blog, btw). I’m new to blogging, but I I’ve been around the internet for years. I think this problem is definitely beginning to raise its ugly head higher if blog newbies like me have even spotted it around.
Thanks for the dedication.
Cheers!