What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism can best be defined as any use or close replication of the language and ideas of an author without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, plagiarism means ‘..to take and use as one’s own the thoughts, writings, or inventions of another.’ (OED 1987).

The word plagiarism derives from Latin roots: ‘plagiarius’, an abductor, and ‘plagiare’, to steal. A good example plagiarism incident’s is reflected in our day to day life. We are continually engaged with other people’s ideas: we read them, hear them in lectures, seminars and media, discuss them in disintegrate groups, and go ahead incorporating them into our own writing without any acknowledgement of the sources.

Although plagiarism is a very ancient practice, it wasn’t done at such a high level in those times. We are continually experiencing an increase in the rate at which incidents of plagiarism cases occur. This is evident with even the prominent authors. An example is Jayson Blair, then a reporter for the New York Times, plagiarised many articles and faked quotes.

People who resolve to plagiarism are therefore practicing the theft of ideas and of someone else’s work and therefore in the long run end up not being able to be independent learners, thinkers and writers. This problem kills their originality and ability to produce an honest work of art. In addition, acts of plagiarism are considered a serious act of misconduct and breach of professional ethics.

The incidents of plagiarism mainly affect works which are yet to be copyrighted. Such works are mainly found in articles published in magazines belonging to small groups and associations which are periodically produced to update the members and also to raise revenue. It therefore prudent to copyright works as this will reduce the level plagiary if any.

However, it is important to note that the problem is not using the work of others as is standard practice in academic work and is generally required whenever papers are required to be written. When one decides to use someone else’s work, the important question will be how he uses it and whether he acknowledges all authors and sources properly.