Plagiarism

[Acula M.D.]

To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism to steal from many is research?

I think at some point in time we are going to need to losen our stance on plagiarism. Especially for highschool students since they tell random kids to write essays on obscure things such as stem cell research. I am not a geneticists or a scientist in general of any kind. I can't bring any first hand experience to the table. So why make me site so many obscure references when obviously you know these aren't my thoughts on the subject.

I see where the concern for the kids who copy and paste comes from but I'm in an AP English class. The people who need to cheat aren't in this class. Idk, I'm just venting. This sucks. Yeah....

[mrjizzbomber]

The "plagiarism" you seem to be talking about... school plagiarism... is really just to make sure students are doing their work. No high schooler is stealing ideas, images, or text to make a profit. There is a grand scheme reason plagiarism is taken seriously and it all has to do with $$$. So what you're referring to as plagiarism I would just call cheating. I don't think theres any real legal ramifications which would occur if you plagiarized a biologist's journal article on stem cell research for your term paper, you'd just get in trouble with the school.

[mrjizzbomber]

Oh, and when you "steal from many" to do research, the idea is you are taking information from various sources to draw your own hypothesis or conclusions. When you write, for example, a paper on stem cell research, you're supposed to be generating your own ideas, your own thesis, your own perspective. All the information you are patching together from your sources provides the material, but you provide the foundation and the structure to your paper.

Basically, if you wrote a paper on "what is stem cell research" and you patched together what you found form a variety of places... your paper is bullshit, and you would deserve to be graded as such. You gotta be saying something new.

So why make me site so many obscure references when obviously you know these aren't my thoughts on the subject.

You see, theres your problem. Generate some thoughts on the subject of your own. Make a thesis, something that belongs to you. Now, the patching together of research to support your ideas will make a lot more sense.

[Emadyville]

I understand that you cite sources as to give credibility to the facts, statistics, opinions, etc. in your paper.
But my soph year of college my one teacher said I plagarized because something I used in my intro paragraph was later used in the body, and I cited it in the body, and she tried to say I was deliberatly trying to do so

Not only that but she then said I could be expelled from school for that...like seriously? I cited it in the paper, obviously it was a mistake at worst.

Anyway, I think cases like mine show how confusing and intense this topic is, so good topic

[mrjizzbomber]

I understand that you cite sources as to give credibility to the facts, statistics, opinions, etc. in your paper.
But my soph year of college my one teacher said I plagarized because something I used in my intro paragraph was later used in the body, and I cited it in the body, and she tried to say I was deliberatly trying to do so

Not only that but she then said I could be expelled from school for that...like seriously? I cited it in the paper, obviously it was a mistake at worst.

Anyway, I think cases like mine show how confusing and intense this topic is, so good topic

I think certain educators take themselves too seriously. Plagiarism laws are really there to protect people from stealing other's ideas... for PROFIT. The WORST you could have been doing is "cheating"

[WhatsAnEnigma]

I'm in AP English too, but High school so it's not so bad, woot!

I think a few touched on the point I'm going to stand by. Plagiarism in my opinion is taking someone else's ideas and passing them on as your thoughts solely and not give credit where it's due. In a class with an essay on Stem Cells as an example and to use what you said - "I'm not a geneticist". I'm sure they understand that and don't expect your essay to reflect your discoveries and first documentations of that field. It is to keep people from (as said) copy and pasting word for word other people's work. Summarizing too sounds like Plagiarism, but what else can you do?

In this case I think there's a difference possibly between the actual definition of Plagiarism and it's connotation.

[Brood]

The punishment might be way too severe then it should be, but that's why you source/reference like Menzo said.