Avoid Plagiarism like the Plague

What is the plague?

The Plague is a name for a highly infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. It attacks your lungs, lymph nodes or blood vessels. It is estimated that the plague is responsible for up to 200 million deaths worldwide. In the years 1346-1353, it wiped out nearly 60% of Europe’s ENTIRE population. About 25 million people. Yes – nearly 60% of Europe’s population died in 7 years, killed by this tiny bacterium.

Now you know why we have the saying: “Avoid something like the plague”. It’s only common sense to avoid something that deadly.

What is plagiarism?

When you do a google search for the word you get the following definition:

The practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.

Funny story: this is the exact answer, word for word, that quite a few of my students gave on their midterm when I asked them to define plagiarism.

Taking someone else’s work or someone else’s ideas and pretending that they are your own is a terrible thing. It is theft of property – intellectual property. I see no difference between someone stealing my phone and stealing something I wrote and published. You remember your favorite toy when you were a kid? What if someone took it out of your hands, turned around, and said: “This is mine”. How angry would you be? What if someone took your smartphone? How would that make you feel?

In the age of the internet it has become extremely easy to press Ctrl+C and Ctrl+P and – like magic – a writing assignment appears. Add your name, today’s date and you’ve just completed your homework or classwork. Why do students do it? Many reasons, I guess. Maybe they’re tired. Maybe they are afraid of making mistakes. Maybe they want to impress their teacher. Maybe they’re having a lazy day. Maybe they can’t come up with anything to say. Maybe they don’t think it’s a big deal. Maybe they think their instructor won’t notice.

Oh, we always notice. We KNOW. We take one glance, and we know. We’re teachers – we’re hardwired to notice.

And it makes us upset. For many reasons. By submitting someone else’s work as your own, you’re basically telling us: “I did not feel like doing the work you assigned. I don’t believe you’ll notice that I’ve suddenly acquired the writing skills of a Harvard professor. Nah-na-na-na-na.”

The work a teacher assigns DOES matter, though it may not seem like it at the time. We want you to learn. To expand your mind. To make mistakes so that we can help you. We want you to develop and improve.

Copying off the internet does not allow you to learn or grow. It does not help you at all. You are wasting your own time (and money! School’s not cheap!), a teacher’s time and putting yourself in danger.

Why?

1. Plagiarism can get you suspended and/or expelled from school.

2. Plagiarism will make teachers form a negative opinion about your work, possibly even you as a person – your reputation will suffer.

3. You can get sued by the author of the text you copied. Heck, we sue companies for selling us hot coffee – why wouldn’t we sue for stealing our thoughts, words and ideas?

So please. Please. Write your own essays and assignments. Take pride in your work and your education.

#plagiarism #copying