What is Plagiarism?
Taking someone else's work and presenting it as your own.
Avoiding the Ultimate Writing Sin: When Words Aren't Yours
Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else's work and presenting it as your own. This can range from copying a few words or phrases to entire passages or even full works. Not only is plagiarism dishonest, but it is also an offense that can have severe consequences, both personally and professionally.
When writing, it's important to always give credit to the original creator of any source you use, whether it's a quote, an idea, or an entire article. There are many ways to do this, including referencing the source in your writing, using quotation marks, or citing the source in a bibliography. Additionally, it's crucial to understand the difference between common knowledge and intellectual property, and to always err on the side of caution by citing sources even for seemingly obvious information.
Plagiarism isn't just a problem in the realm of news and academia - it can be found in literature as well. Here are two examples of the term being used in classic works:
When the character Polonius is reading a collection of his own writings to King Claudius, Hamlet remarks, 'You are a fishmonger.' This response is a sarcastic reference to the fact that Polonius is passing off other people's ideas as his own, effectively 'selling' them like a fishmonger would sell fish.
Although Mark Twain is celebrated for his wit and humor, it's worth noting that he was accused of plagiarism early in his career. Some critics pointed out similarities between Twain's story 'A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage' and a tale that appeared in a previous publication.