Ethics Of Plagiarism

Mike Deep • October 29, 2014

The Ethics Of Plagiarism: What Is It All About?

When you hear people discussing the word plagiarism, you will often hear them say “copying” someone else’s work; or borrowing a few words and phrases from another author. While that may not seem like a big deal, it truly is. And that is not only about serious consequences pertaining to plagiarism. It is also about the ethics of plagiarism.

The ethics of plagiarism is merely the ethics of stealing

The ethics of plagiarism is merely the ethics of stealing

Plagiarism is an act when you take someone’s work and try to pass it off as your own. This is known as stealing, which is not only unethical, but it is also illegal. In legal terms, plagiarism is considered literary theft. If you knowingly use another person’s work without giving them credit, you are committing plagiarism. Plagiarism also extends to ideas and products; taking someone’s original idea or product and passing it off as your own.

When you are accused of plagiarism, you are accused of stealing because you are committing an act of fraud. You are not only stealing the work, product, or original idea of another person, but you are lying about doing so afterward. So the ethics of plagiarism is merely the ethics of stealing.

How Can Words be Stolen?

Do not believe the myths; words can be stolen. US law states that original ideas, including stories, phrases, and other groups of words are protected under the US copyright law. This means that if you steal another person’s idea and original content, you have violated the intellectual property law, which is a crime. If a person protects their literary work (consisting of words and phrases), they have physical proof that you have committed plagiarism, and you could face severe consequences.

The Aftermath

Once you have been accused of committing plagiarism, the crime will need to be proven. The type of plagiarism that you commit will typically determine the consequences that you must deal with. For instance, if you plagiarize a paper in school, the consequences are not as severe as those associated with stealing someone’s book or copyrighted material. However, just because you are not taken away to jail for stealing the work of your peers in school, you could face serious consequences from your educational institution.

Professionals who are convicted of violating copyright laws could face monetary repercussions, as well as a destroyed reputation. An author has the right to sue another professional for stealing their work. Plagiarism is not only a serious ethical issue; it could also have severe legal repercussions.

If you plagiarize in school, your reputation will not only be tarnished, but you could be kicked out of the university that you attend. Students in high school or junior high that are caught plagiarizing another student or author could be expelled or suspended from school. This also applies to college students. A student caught plagiarizing on any educational level could have this offense listed on their academic record – listed as an ethics offense. Having an ethics offense on your student record could prevent you from being accepted into another high school or college; it could also prevent some high school students from being accepted into college.

Professionals who are convicted of violating copyright laws could face monetary repercussions, as well as a destroyed reputation. An author has the right to sue another professional for stealing their work. Plagiarism is not only a serious ethical issue; it could also have severe legal repercussions.

Plagiarism is Never a Good Idea

Many people are able to plagiarize without being caught. However, stealing someone’s work is never a good idea, and it is not ethical. As it was just mentioned before – the ethics of plagiarism is just the ethics of stealing. You always want to cite your sources and give credit to the original author. If you have not created an idea, be honest. Paraphrasing is okay, as long as you paraphrase properly. Failure to paraphrase correctly could lead to plagiarism, even if this was not your intention.

There are a variety of plagiarism checkers available to ensure your work is not copied in any way. Some of these plagiarism checkers are available online for free. Always use your own work, regardless if it is for school, business, or personal use.