Plagiarism

According to Stanley Fish, I learned that plagiarism is not so much of a moral issue. It's more of how you conduct yourself professionally in the academic circles. Sure, there is a bit of morality involved: you are essentially stealing one's work if you don't give credit to them, but Fish argues that it all matters in the context of things. In the context of academics, plagiarism is an obvious sin. Outisde, however, it is a little difficult. Musicians sometimes sample music from previous artists. Some old songs are revamped, remixed, and redone. In certain cultures, it is okay for people to pool from the "common knowledge" because that knowledge or resource exists and belongs to everyone. However, what may be at stake then is the sense of "individuality", that the current generation is losing more and more of their originality. That art, music, etc. are nothing more but a copy of a copy of a copy.

Plagiarism / Colin Niebergall

So what is at stake when we consider the thought of plagiarism? Is it an underlining issue of who get's what credit for an individual piece of work. What is considered to be an individual piece of work, do we not learn from others and lessons that were taught to us by those others at an earlier time in life. Do are teachers and mentors deserve the same kind of acknowledgment that we want to receive when we write the next big novel, or produce the next huge pop song? You say, well they didn't really influence this piece that much, or this idea, but in all actuality everyone is influence by each person they interact with. This brings us back to who deserves the credit, the real can of beans, the fame, or downfall which ever way you want to look at it.

my thought on plagiarism

Plagiarism can be taking someone's work and passing it off as your own work, or using their information, idea, or creative work without giving them appropriate recognition or credit. The problem with plagiarism is that the original creator has put in hard work and effort into their work and it is offensive to their hard work to appropriate their creation or part of it so that you may use it and attempt to pass it off as your own. However, I think in instances such as collages, mash-ups, and satirical work, some appropriation of idea, work, or concept is acceptable as long as the intent is different or the work is significantly changed.

What is at Stake?

Stanley Fish mentions in his article that plagiarism seems to be less of an issue of philosophical matters. He describes plagiarizing as a sin, like it would be equal with sinning. Sinning is also described as being a learned thing that we develop as we grow and plagiarism seems to be just that. With this idea in mind, the only thing at stake when plagiarism is actually being done seems to be just simply stealing from the previous person who used the material. However, that same person may have been guilty of the same thing and stole those ideas from someone else. The act of actual stealing looks like more of the problem in this case. If we start to bring in the idea of using philosophical ideas and turning this into the "uniqueness" of someone's own philosophical ideas, then it becomes a different story. Plagiarism looks to be more of the stealing of someone's recreation of original ideas than the stealing of original ideas.

With all this in mind, what really seems to be at stake due to plagiarism is the recreated "unique" ideas that branched off of another's remake or original of some kind. Original work doesn't seem to be what is in danger any longer.

Plagiarism

What's at stake when you decide to plagiarize? Everything. Especially when you're a student it's definitely a big no no. Plagiarizing while enrolled in a college or university can happen a lot quicker than many would like to think. Taking the ideas or words of others and using them as your own happens more often than we would like to believe. When you plagiarize you are potentially putting your college career and more importantly your future on hold. So, what's at stake when you decide to plagiarize to me is simple. Your future.

What's at Stake?

In regards to the articles, plagiarism is taking from education. If we use information/ specific phrases that others have already used we are not expanding our minds. We are not exceeding our potential. I agree with these articles because if everyone is copying eachother we are not concerned with learning and later generations can hurt from it. plagiarism is an insult to teachers, if people are just copying eachother there's a posiblity that teachers will give up and then there would be no use for education. Most will not attempt to learn/ try.

What is at stake when it comes to plagiarism?

I think the most important thing that is at stake when it comes to plagiarism is academic integrity. When plagiarising someones work your own academic integrity is brought into question. Academic integrity is something that is very important to many scholars and is worth a lot in value to a persons reputability. Without a good standing with your academic integrity your work is something that will begin to be overlooked and bypassed by other scholars.

Plagiarism

The numerous articles I've read on plagiarism throughout my classes have emphasized one main point, plagiarism is not taken seriously. Not only are the orginal writers of the work being ripped off, but students are also cheating themselves of valuable opportunities to enhance their creative thinking/writing skills. Plagiarism is absolutely a form of theft. Just because it is not physically stolen from another makes it appear more acceptable which is not the case. And until a proper consequence is discovered for adults who plagiarize in the real world we will continue to see it.

What is at Stake in Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using somebody else's original ideas,work and/or words as your own. When you plagiarize, you are looking to take credit for something that isn't your own. This can become a problem particularly when there is money to be made. People and corporations should not be able to profit off of words or ideas that are a product of another individual. Not only are you taking money and credit for what is not your own, but you are also reinforcing a system of dishonesty. Defining exactly what constitutes plagiarism can be tricky. With the advancements in technology, so much free information is available to the public. This makes it easier to copy and edit something and claim it as your own. There are those who believe that plagiarism can be its own form of creativity. Building and adding on to a song that somebody else wrote can make it more interesting. The point, however, is that one must seek permission from the creator of the song in order to edit it or create a remix. There are those who believe that profit and honesty is at stake with plagiarism. However, there are those who believe that creativity is at stake.

Plagiarism

I feel that plagiarism is a rising problem in this country, for today's youth do not seem to comrehend that simply because something is on the internet, it is not up for grabs to be used in any matter. Taking ideas from a work and then interpreting them into original ideas is one thing, but blatantly using someone else's work is downright lazy. The simple way to get around this is to simply cite the works used, an idea people aren't seeming to understand today. Once proper credit is given, other people's works can be included into a student's original work.

What's at stake when talking about plagiarism?

Plagiarism is something students deal with on a daily basis. Every class taken at an institute of higher learning preaches the fact that plagiarism and cheating will not be accepted under any circumstances. However, coming from a small town where I graduated with less than fifty people, the idea of plagiarism and its consequences were never really discussed until I made the transition to college. Within the first half of my first semester as a student here, a close friend of mine, whom also went to a small high school near here, got a taste of how serious an issue plagiarism can be. He was caught using someones English work as his own, and was quickly expelled from the university. While this is the only case of expulsion that I have heard of from our university, it was obvious how serious this issue is.

On a less serious note, I believe the most important thing at stake is a person's credibility. We are all here as students to receive the best education possible, and to get out of this experience the hard work that we put in. But, if that work is coming from an outside source, then in my mind that persons degree is irrelevant, and I think it taints the perception of all students, even the ones doing the right thing.

What's at stake when dealing with plagerism?

The main thing that I believe is at stake when dealing with plagerism is that, even if it was completly unintentional, your credibility can be ruined for any future pieces. Not to mention, the original author of the work will not receive the correct credit for writing the piece. Future professors, employers, publishers ect.. will have to deeply consider whether reading another one of your pieces is actually worth their time again. It's understandable if it was by accident because some research is common knowledge, but as in the Fish article, taking someone's work and deliberately making it your own is unfair and wrong.

Plagiarism

Originality is at stake when a person decides to plagiarize another person's work. If everyone were to copy another persons ideas, that person would of wasted all their hard work for nothing. We would see the same commercials every time we turned on the television, companies would just switch the logos out. All of society would become lazy, there would be no need for research just reach into the box of other people's work and put your name on it. Originality makes the person's work interesting and different from all the others.

What's at stake when we talk about plagiarism is the concept that my ideas, while I may have developed them in great part due to someone else's ideas, are unique to me, and that the time, effort, and research I put into developing those ideas is valuable.
If, for example, I was working on a research paper and decided not to cite the work of another person--whether it was with ill-intent or not--is an act of stealing that person's work; it's cheating that person out of the credit they deserve for working diligently to develop that idea. By claiming someone else's work as my own, essentially I am devaluing the entire process. What is interesting about plagiarism is that if I chose to plagiarize, and then later were asked whether or not I thought the time and effort I put into my piece was valuable, or worth something, more than likely, I would absolutely say yes. The problem is when I steal the work someone else has done, I am saying that it's not actually worth anything. Therefore, I would be saying that the work I've done is not worth anything, either. If you're a perpetual cheater, or maybe don't care so much about what you're working on, maybe this idea wouldn't bother you--however, not everyone plagiarizes, so the issue is that the group that does is stealing intellecual property from those who don't which lowers the value of everyone's work. Plagiarizing is not a singular event: it doesn't just affect the person doing the cheating; it affects a great number of people.

What's At Stake With Plagiarism?

What's at stake with plagiarism?! The answer is a lot.
From a young age we are taught that using someones ideas, words, ect. without giving them credit is wrong. However, we are also taught a trick called paraphrasing or that if we simply change a few of the words than it is not plagiarism. As we have matured and ventured into our college careers the idea of plagiarism has taken on a more serious tone and meaning. That simple word change which once made it okay to use an idea without giving credit to where it came from is no longer acceptable.
So, whats is at stake? In the idea of academic honesty a persons entire college career can be at stake. If an idea isn't cited or is [possibly] cited incorrectly a student can be called into questioning. If found guilty of using another persons words without accrediting that person then the student could be expelled from the university. Once expelled from the university that student has unintentionally (I hope) ruined their career at that particular university.

Other ideas that come into play that can be problematic of plagiarism is that political side of this issue. Money. Yes, money. When an author writes a book and has it published it is understood that the information in that book is either their ideas or fed off of ideas of others, which they have given credit to. When a person takes another persons ideas and uses it as their own, possibly making money off of that idea, the situation becomes political. Whose idea was it to begin with? How was that person able to make money of another persons idea? And without fail, the person from which the original idea came from is probably going to want to reap the benefits (money) that the person has come into procession of.

Plagiarism

In Fish's article, it seem that the students themselves lose a great deal when committing plagiarism. That the students themselves will be deprived of an academic experience and could also seem professionally crippled to a future employer. Not only will the student seem to lack the capability have their own ideas and opinions to a professor, but to employers as well. It seems that the professionalism of the student can be compromised and called into question, but the character of the student can remain intact. Perhaps the student simply ran out of time and copied from an outside source without giving the respectable credit. In circumstances such as these, to call someones morality into question seems almost inappropriate.

What is at stake?

When looking at plagarism as well as all the repercussions that it comes with if the act is committed is somewhat overwhelming. I feel that many of times people do not realize that they are in fact plagarising. It's hard to cite information already, not to mention the fact of citing information that is not common knowledge to everyone but may be common knowledge to your specific generation.
I feel that the number one problem with plagarism, as well as the number one issue that is at stake when talking about the act of plagerism is hurting feelings. I sometimes believe that the people who's work is being plagarised should just calm down for a second and lok what the person has actually written. If it is in fact "good-quality" information/stuff, maybe the new artist who is using the work of another is in fact using it because they admire the work, not just because they are simply stealing the work of another.It sucks to think that so many people are being charged for plagarism when a majority of them have no idea that they are doing it.
After reading Fish's article I sort of felt a bit angry, like he did when he found that someone had used his information, but I can know see that sometimes people take the easy way out when writing things, or simply constructing any sort of work, and there are plenty repercussions for using the works of others.

plagiarism :P

To the best of my understanding, the articles seem to point out how it has become almost apathetic of most individuals in academia to accept plagiarism for what it has become, and, with a rather ironic connection, that originality and creativity can be sacrificed, but may actually flourish depending on the circumstances.

Fish initially seemed to question modern morals & ethics in his first article regarding plagiarism, and how its effects are negative in that aspect, as well as from a learning standpoint. His second article was essentially a defense, to say that plagiarism is NOT a moral issue, but an academic one that hinders the full effects of a complete education. & he's right... sort of. Morals don't seem to be lost as a result of plagiarism, but as in the aforementioned paragraph, creativity might. Who knows. Maybe the modern student isn't really looking to be creative.

Plagiarism seems to have a lot of gray areas, and doesn't fully list what it is & is not. It seems that his main focus is that since it is an ambiguous subject, the attempt should be made to judge whether or not its is or is not plagiarism based on common sense, and to bring to light that despite that, there are still a noticeable amount of students. Fish seems to say (though possibly unintentionally) that the modern student isn't morally conscious when it comes to plagiarism, probably because an average viewpoint is "I just need to pass." That in turn, as said earlier, DOES cease the development of originality, which amounts to many people with similar thoughts & nothing groundbreaking.

On the upside, however, Lethem describes how most contemporary and historic culture that is remembered fondly in a modern time, is essentially based on borrowings and reconstructions of previous works. It seems that he views it not as plagiarism, but as a spawning of new ideas but converting old ones. Plagiarism, is this sense, isn't hindering at all; if anything, it marks itself as progressive.

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