What plagiarism is

The Webster’s English Dictionary defines plagiarism as taking ideas from someone else and then claiming them to be your own. Plagiarism can be looking into your partner’s answer sheet during an examination, stealing the business plan of any of your colleagues or using the internet to copy literary or textual sources and then claim them as your own.

Here are a few other dictionary meanings of plagiarism:

  • Use of other people’s work without giving due credit
  • Presenting a new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
  • Literary source theft
  • Claiming other people’s ideas and words as your own

Plagiarism is treated as dishonesty, forgery and embezzlement. It cannot be justified as it includes the use of fraud means and in no form is the hard work of the plagiarist come into play. So it will be unfair to give someone credit for not using any of brains and just copying down works from easily available sources on the internet or elsewhere. Even if it is done unintentionally it is still regarded as fraudulence and once it is caught you cannot give any explanation as to why you have done it. The punishment is payment of a hefty fine and imprisonment. Countries like the United States have a very strict plagiarism policy and have websites like Theplagiarism.com to detect and catch plagiarism.

Ways of committing plagiarism are:

  • Expressing someone’s thoughts without giving due credit to the source of the idea
  • Enclosing the copied statements without the use of quotation marks
  • Submitting anyone else’s work and claiming it to be yours
  • Blindly copying other’s concepts, ideas and words

We must raise our conscience against plagiarism not just because once we get caught we will have to face dire consequences but also we must ask ourselves that if someone copies our work and acclaims riches and fame due to it, then would we like to remain quiet? Won’t we also take a stand against it. Treat others the way you want to be treated and don’t form the habit of a cheat.

Latest blog posts

Plagiarism Pitfalls in the World of YouTube Content Creation
Plagiarism Pitfalls in the World of YouTube Content Creation

Have you ever tried not only to get entertainment but also look for answers to some of your questions on YouTube? Looking for particular information, you must have noticed in great surprise that there are tons of different videos which present the same opinions, contain the same content, and are obviously copies of ...

AI Content Creation and Copyright Concerns
AI Content Creation and Copyright Concerns

Everything is crystal clear when it goes about your own article or unique image. You are the author and you own all the rights to this content. What about non-human authors and creators? If you have made a list of requirements to the text and you got it from an AI tool, whose intellectual property is it: yours or the ...

The Broad Range of AI Applications: From Chatbots to Essays
The Broad Range of AI Applications: From Chatbots to Essays

We live in the time of great fears, great hopes, and great expectations. If one tries to identify what is the best association with the present-day reality, it is probably ‘the age of AI.’ Everything changes so fast that even such stable sphere as writing requires enhancements. Doing time-consuming work ...

Striking the Balance between AI-Powered Writing Assistants, Creativity, and Plagiarism
Striking the Balance between AI-Powered Writing Assistants, Creativity, and Plagiarism

Life rarely gives simple and direct answers, especially when the questions are rather provocative. In the era of AI tools, is there place for originality? Does AI kill creativity or give it a new start? How can we define this collaboration between human brain and the latest software? Is that partnership of two ...

AI's Impact on Shaping Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
AI's Impact on Shaping Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Everybody knows that there is a fine line not only between love and hate. The same can be said about using AI for inspiration and plagiarizing. Distributing tasks among the students, the professor has always expected each of them to turn in their own work. It used to be a great challenge for all schools to ensure ...

Is AI Writing Always a Good Idea?
Is AI Writing Always a Good Idea?

You are a writer and your professional dream has always been very clear and understandable. To write fast, to work better, and give bigger ideas to let the readers know that you are the one whose point of view they should always take into account – that’s it, right? The tedious tasks have always worn you ...