What do you consider to be plagiarism?

wiseagent Level 1

September 17, 2017, 4:57 pm

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What do you consider to be plagiarism?

Within the world of the arts, one of the major concerns surrounding artists is plagiarism. Even if you're not a famous artist, the idea that someone can - literally - steal your idea and take advantage of it without giving you credit (and with the possibility of making lots of money from it) is very frustrating.

For some people the concept of plagiarism has different interpretations... So, what would be yours? What is plagiarism to you?

Comments

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I have been a bit lax about putting that 'copyright' stamp on my work. I truly would not know if anyone could have flicked my photos or articles. The frightening thing is if your work is robbed and then they put a copyright on it then you have no right over it.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

Unfortunately, this is a very complicated / tricky field because it's very difficult to prove who is right and who is wrong. Unfortunately, the "tools" to commit plagiarism are increasingly sophisticated (which is obviously a bad thing).

7 years ago

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JANNESKIE18

JANNESKIE18

OH you're also right any on copy the words or sentence in any bog sites

7 years ago

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anphii06

anphii06

For me, Plagiarism is the use of another’s work, words, or ideas without attribution. Plagiarism takes many forms, but it falls into three main categories, first, using a source’s language without quoting. second, using information from a source without attribution, and lastly, paraphrasing a source in a form that stays too close to the original.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

I think there is absolutely nothing you can do about plagiarism. Because all someone has to do is copy your work into their own words and it's no longer plagiarism. Which is why I don't worry about copyright unless someone copied my content word for word.

7 years ago

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mar06

mar06

For me it is bad stealing about someones' work because that's and illegal act. But if you intended that act that consider as crime and if you have any reason why did you do that so it's not crime.

6 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

I agree, what ever technical terms and conditions you call it, the outcome is still stealing. At the first place why are using someones work? It may be in good intentions or for a benefit but you still need consent to the owner because it is still not yours. Just my opinion...

6 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Yeah, but it's good that other people help in calling out people who blatantly copy content, especially articles which become popular when they are obviously copied without permission by the owner or without proper paraphrasiing or citations.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

The truth is that it's very painful seeing your work getting copied and used in another platform that you are likely to get into and see. And how my mind works, I always know my work anywhere I see it and it hurts like hell. If only there is harder punishment for plagiarism.

6 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Even if you copyright your work, people can still plagiarize it, so that does not protect the illicit use of your content without your permission. If someone steals more than two or three words from your original content, and yes it is stealing, without giving you credit, then they have plagiarized you. As an English professor, I have to deal with this constantly, and it is terribly frustrating, I cam promise you. I have seen people get F's in their courses, get kicked out of college, and even have their graduating degree revoked because it came out that they plagiarized. This is a very serious matter. If anyone EVER uses your personally created content without properly documenting it and giving you credit, then they have committed plagiarism.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

I think it may be hard to accuse someone of copyright if they take a few words (10 words let's say for this example). They could easily say that it was a coincidence that the sentence they wrote was exactly the same as yours. It could easily have been done without copying your content as well. But of course for many large paragraphs then it may be obvious if they have taken your content and claimed it as theirs. Even if you copyright, people will still do it because of how complicated and long the claims process is if you want to go to court.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Where I teach, we use a software from Turnitin.com which contains a database full f previously publishe and previously turned in essays from around the world. It highlights, in red, on a student's paper, the words they have copied from other sources, and then it lists the sources the words came from. Often, students will copy a few words, change a few here and there, and then copy more, back and forth. Maybe when I refer to just a few words, I am doing so because I have become accustomed to using this software like this and seeing cheating done in this way.

7 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

Copying someone else\s work just exactly as they wrote it from sentence to sentence and word to word. Even making the same mistakes in the article as the original person did. You can avoid plagiarism by rewriting content.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

I've also been an English teacher for a while and I can certainly understand your(s) frustration(s). It's really a very complicated field to be supervised. But I think the biggest problem is inherent in people who only think of taking advantage of the work of others.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Exactly. I have seen pieces of writing that are more cut and pasted together from different sources than Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Good to meet a fellow English teacher here who understands my pain. I agree with you as well in your last sentence. The question is intent; many people "plagiarize" by accident, but you can always tell who set about this particular activity with stealing material solely in mind.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

"I have seen pieces of writing that are more cut and pasted together from different sources than Dr. Frankenstein's monster."

That's what I'm talking about... LOL! LOL!

Although your comment is funny unfortunately it makes evident a very big problem: the lack of reading. It's as if students see plagiarism as a quicker way to get where they want to (just finish the job).

I agree that plagiarism is not always intentional, but unfortunately the percentage of those who act in this way is very small.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

My comment, and I glad you thought it was funny, is every bit as comedic as it is tragic. We have to deal with this type of thing so much now in academia. It's rampant. What's even more scary to me is the idea that everything is just an easy fix and can be plucked from the cloud instead of being crafted by one's own accomplishment and ingenuity.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

This is one of the bad sides of technology because it provides so much ease that the context of things gets hampered. It's clear that technology alone does nothing, but people always try to use it in bad ways for their own benefit without thinking about the work of others.

7 years ago

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Painterly

Painterly

Intent may be the question, but you have to prove intent via evidence to make the accusation justly. Part of the concept plagiarism is that the content isn't copied word for word, but also the format of the content is lifted directly from another source. It's perfectly natural that two people writing about a specific topic would come up with the same points. But if those points are listed in the exact same order you may have a case. Conversely, if those same points exist but in a different order, as your example suggests, you need to be careful about your accusations.

7 years ago

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ballyhara

ballyhara

Unbelievable but true. At least you guys use Turnitin, but honestly we have teachers here that don't even know that exists. So, for sure there are tons of students that are cheating on papers, because if they can't get caught, they feel confident about it. I even knew a guy at college who used to "work" for others, the guy did your job for a price. So, while I was spending long nights working on my essays, the rich kids where paying to sleep like babies. Third world study issues I guess.

6 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

That is definitely one of the biggest problems. I can definitely feel your frustration especially considering you are a teacher and you probably have to deal with such problems on a regular basis. I really don't understand why people cannot just create their own work. Maybe it's because they are lazy which is a really bad habit to have. If you grow up having to rely on other peoples work then you will really struggle in life especially when you have to do your own things.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

Unfortunately, this is a very sad scenario because in the school context these failures represent something much bigger (which automatically is something bad).

Everyone says that education is the best way for things to improve, but when I look closely at some aspects... Unfortunately, I can't think that way.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

There is always going to be work thieves no matter how much it's being tried to be prevented. The truth is that there are some people who live and depend on stealing other people's lives work and use it for their own benefits. This is just like the issue of spammers and scammers, they thrive in capitalizing on others works and using it for their own gain.

6 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I really do not mind if someone copies my content but if they copyright it and call it their own because I have not, then if I use that material I would be called the plagiariser (lol)

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I think I'm quite lax when it comes to the issue of plagiarism. In the words of Pablo Picasso, "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." To me, true plagiarism would be copying something word for word and passing it off as your own. I'm talking straight up copy and paste, without any form of credit. That, to me, is pure plagiarism. It is despicable behavior. On the other hand, taking someone's work or ideas and rewording them in your own way? While it may be morally questionable to many people, including myself, I believe it is fair game. Morally questionable, but not nearly as wrong as copying word for word.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

DenisP,
I totally understand your argument here. I guess it depends upon if you are summarizing or paraphrasing someone's work. I used to think that Shakespeare was the first to say "there's nothing new under the sun"--I found out later it was Ecclesiastes, and I am sure someone probably said that before him as well. It is hard to come up with an original idea, but we can always strive to come up with our own words to discuss old ideas.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

To me, plagiarism is when you copy someone's idea or work. And by work, I mean all types of stuff like art, writing etc. And when I say copy, I mean take that idea and literally do the same but claim it as your own. I don't have problems with people taking inspiration from things as long as they can make it slightly different or make it unique.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

I kind of agree with your definition of plagiarism and there is a big difference between what is plagiarism and what is inspiration. It's a shame that many people don't know (or didn't want to know) how to separate things.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Great point here--plagiarism can occur in almost any medium. I even remember court cases, like the one with Vanilla Ice and the "Under Pressure" song, by Queen, years ago, and Ice came under tons of criticism for an unacknowledged sample of a bass line. Sampling is just fine; incorporating the work of other into your own work is just fine; however, you have to give the original artist credit. That's all.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Yeah, you used a great example as well. I don't understand why people just don't credit the original author/creator. It probably takes a second or two to just say who created that piece of work or who you took some inspiration from.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Thanks for saying so. You are correct--they even have sites, such as easybib.com, which can generate the citations for you just by plugging in the source information and details, and, if you use google Scholar, which i even use to work on my doctoral studies, it automatically provides the citations which you can just cut and paste. So, if you know how to use a set of quotation marks, then you are pretty much in business, so I see no need to cheat.

6 years ago

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TheInsaneSakif

TheInsaneSakif

Yes. Plagiarism is basically copying the work of others, and admitting that it is your work without giving any credit to the original creator. Plagiarism can have consequences, so it is better to always do work that is done by YOU, and if you do copy, make sure to give a reference.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Plagiarism equals copy or lifting of one's work without the person's knowledge or permission simply because you have access to them. Taking inspiration from one's work and writing yours is just like learning how to write from someone's work and there is nothing wrong with that but when you copy or lifts one's work without his knowledge, that's a grave sin in writing.

6 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

It's interesting how we all interpret plagiarism a bit differently. It just shows that the word has layers of meaning. I personally see plagiarism when somebody takes another person's work, completely copies it and doesn't give the original author any sort of credits that he/she deserves. I don't think that just finding inspiration or a rough idea and then turning it into your own work is necessarily plagiarism. But I do agree that the line is very thin.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

The line in defining plagiarism is quite thin and that's the reason I don't think there is no other explanation other than the earlier one that you gave.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

My take on plagiarism is if the complete work was copied word for word or the majority of words were copied. Also if complete paragraphs were copied. But if I reword the whole piece and or add my own content to it after rewording, then it's not plagiarizing.

6 years ago

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bienn05

bienn05

Copying word for word in a sentence is the plagiarism. I mean, we all can make our own sentences with the same thought but different word structures. When you copy the word for word that is the plagiarism.

6 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Whoever that using another person's insight and inspiration to write your own content or articles is plagiarism is 100% wrong because people do take inspiration from others better than them and use such inspiration to write their own legacy. What are mentors for? They are beacons of inspiration from where others look up to and fashion their own lives.

6 years ago

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peachpurple

peachpurple

I had 22 posts copied and pasted by Expertscolumn member in the past. He didn't ask for my permission and stole my posts, I had complained to DMCA and the admin but no result.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

I think the worst side of plagiarism are those people defying you without any shame after they steal your work. Honeslty, I can't stand that kind of people (and I don't have the least patience for them). The world would be better off without them.

7 years ago

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peachpurple

peachpurple

I agree with you, I just don't understand these people, why are they so lazy to write their own articles, would rather copy and paste and claim the articles are THEIRS? So shameful of them.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

I don't believe that the problem is only in the "laziness" factor (because if it
were, it would be relatively something easy to solve), but in the very character
of each person because I think this is something that comes from within.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think as long as the work is changed enough it can be regarded as an original work, even if it is inspired or just remixed from a previous one. As long as there is around 70-80% original input, I would say that it is enough to dodge the plagiarism label. I know that in music and in graphic design, this is also the case, so in terms of text, I just look at it the same way. If enough words and phrases are changed around, then technically there really is no legal recourse no matter how similar it is to the original work.

7 years ago

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SimpleTom

SimpleTom

To me, plagiarism was always to be viewed in the context of copyright laws. Anything that breaks them - like copying parts of your article word for word - for the benefit of one's own, would be plagiarism (unless the work copied is labeled Creative Commons).
As such, I see the only way of "copying" someone's work in the Fair Use lawset. In that way there's a significant line they typically call the "Transformative Factor". Sounds magical, doesn't it? Well, in reality that just makes the distinction between whether you're copying someone's work with only minor additions, or actually creating something of your own, in which only parts of the original are mentioned. Citing someone's work for instance is always permitted, as you're only using their words as a tool in your own.
Another factor to consider would be how important and structure giving what you're about to copy is to the original. If you read a book and like a sentence that describes scenery particularly well, you're probably fine in the eyes of the law. And as such you are in mine, too.

I don't know if I'd go to any lengths to enforce copyright laws, though. This is just my two cents on what you could define it as.

7 years ago

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Mhacky007

Mhacky007

However, there are in fact degrees ofplagiarism: one can steal an entire paper, or a section of a paper, or a page, a paragraph or a sentence. Even copying phrases without credit and quotation marks can be considered plagiarism. In other words, paraphrasing done improperly canqualify as plagiarism.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

Well remembered! There are the different steps of plagiarism... But I think this is extremely difficult to separate (if anyone can do it in a way that looks right... because I think I think it's almost impossible).

In the end, plagiarism will always be plagiarism.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I agree. I think copying and pasting whole segments without quoting is plagiarism. If they wanted to steal my content or ideas, then I would say that I wouldn't consider it stealing if they did enough to change the content. If they changed so much that I would not be able to recognize it, then I would have no grounds for recourse even if I felt like the idea was lifted completely from my work.

7 years ago

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Krisleen

Krisleen

My knowledge about plagiarism is more about writing. I remember two things clearly way back in college while we are doing our thesis. One form of plagiarism is copying what someone exactly written without quoting it. It's like stealing someone's idea. Quoting someone's idea is a way of recognizing other's work as your reference. Another form of plagiarism is not stating your references or including bibliography at the end of the document. We were taught to indicate our references at the end of our thesis document. This is another way of recognizing someone's work as your reference and informing the reader about the sources of your work which they can use for additional reference as well.

7 years ago

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wiseagent

wiseagent

Your point of views on the forms of plagiarism are very interesting and very explanatory (easy to read).

It's a shame that there are still so many people who still find it more interesting to plagiarize someone's work / ideas than to create their own new ones.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Any work that was originally created, designed or produced by you. That appears anywhere online or offline with someone else's name or pseudonym attached to it - is plagiarism. Sometimes, these sorts of things are worked out with payment or a financial transaction. But, that is supposed to be squared away before the content is used in a promotional manner by anyone other than the artist or content producer.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I do agree with your description and definition of plagiarism. Writing in any form done by a person which was copied in part or in full which is used by another person without consent is deemed plagiarism.

6 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

As a college graduate - I can tell you for certain that while some things may change within the academic system from one decade to the next, there has always been one constant. Plagiarism is ACADEMIC DEATH. Any student who is caught red handed plagiarizing faces some of the stiffest penalties a student can get.

7 years ago

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fishbate

fishbate

I agree, any form of copying is plagiarism. But there's an acceptable line with that, if you have given consent and agreed that your content will be used for a purpose then its not plagiarism. That is why protection of content and licensing an agreement is essential specially within the media platforms. If your content is not protected it might be a subject of plagiarism because basically its public unless it licence protected.

6 years ago

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