Plagiarism

Plagiarism

Part I: Relevant Important Term: Plagiarizing

The english dictionary states several definitions of the word Plagiarize:
1) To steal or purloin from the writings of another; to appropriate without due acknowledgement (the ideas or expressions of another).
2) Take without referencing from someone else's writing or speech; of intellectual property
3) To put forth as original to oneself the ideas or words of another.

The definition in the dictionary correspondes accurately with what I had defined for plagiarism. According to the definition, you do not commit plagiarism by simply using another person's idea or writing but it occurs only when you do not give acknowledgement or reference of where you acquired the information. There is a fine line between using another person's idea legally and illegally. The only difference between the two is whether or not you give credit to where you got your information. Plagiarizing is a crime and students may be failed in school or even expelled for committing plagiarism; On the other hand, with proper citation, incorporating other's ideas for the purpose of broadening our own knowledge as well as fulfilling requirements in projects such as research papers can be a great asset. Also, according to the third definition, you cannot turn in something that is mostly or entirely composed of someone else's work and call it your own simply because you cited it. You cannot do this because As long as we are careful in giving credit to wh...