There are No Excuses for Plagiarism

There are some statements and arguments that justify the act of plagiarism. In fact, there are some people that make the act of plagiarizing somewhat acceptable. But is there really a good side about plagiarism?

There is an argument that plagiarism should only be a concern when someone caught doing it is making money out of copied articles. With this, there are some people that are guilty of plagiarizing that can be tolerated in doing such an illegal act. Students submitting their final requirement or blog entries that do not make money out of it cannot be considered as plagiarism if the original idea be followed. But should this be the only scene of plagiarism that can be condemned and refuted?

First of all, we should define what plagiarism is all about before we delve into the very details of plagiarism, ethics, and morality. Plagiarism is the act of claiming someone else’s work as his own. This means that buying an assignment paper from an anonymous source, borrowing a friend’s paper to submitted to the professor, posting someone else’s article in a blogsite without citing the original author, and using direct quotations without proper citation are all acts of plagiarism. This act is against the law. Also, conducting this is immoral and ethical because of the social and personal impact that it can cause. Even if the one committing these acts does not make serious money from doing these, the moral and ethical issues that go beyond these acts are more disturbing. Moreover, committing these acts has great impact on the identity of the perpetuator.

There is more about plagiarism than just rebuking those that make money out of it. Even if the people that are caught doing it are not castigated by the law, the internal repercussions that the act is bringing are more alarming and upsetting. What can a student get from passing his way through college yet submitted a plagiarized requirement? What can a rising author benefit from claiming somebody else’s work as his own? The student will just find himself unprepared with life’s reality when at work. A rising author will not find sense of accomplishment even if he becomes a world-renown writer. Moreover, when the act of plagiarism will be revealed, bigger consequences will be along the way creating more effect on the part of the perpetuator.

What is about writing his own work that stops some people from learning this craft? Like any craft, writing one’s own articles can develop a lot of good output for the writer. This craft can teach good habits and can give a sense of pride to an individual. Moreover, there are so many lives that can be changed with the simple crafting of words.

Copying one’s work should be a pride for the original author. This is another argument used by some people in the hope of justifying plagiarism. But this does not still refute the fact that plagiarism is an illegal and unethical act of stealing someone else’s work. No matter how we justify plagiarism, the truth remains that it is still an act of stealing. We should always remember that stealing is a sin.