Where do we draw the line?
Benjamin Franklin once said, “There is a difference between
imitating a man, and counterfeiting him.” Many people would agree with this
statement. The problem being, that the same people agreeing with this statement
would have different opinions defining the two. This concept goes along the
lines of plagiarism. People can define plagiarism in several different ways. What comes to mind when people think of plagiarism? Well, the first definition that comes to mind is a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation of another authors writing. Merriman states, “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own use...without crediting the
source." The real question is, “Which definition is the correct one?”
source." The real question is, “Which definition is the correct one?”
Using another’s published work without attribution is unethical and infringes on the rights of the author and the publication in which the original material appeared. Merriman also states, "Some cases of plagiarism may arise because the author simply does not understand publication ethics, which are
rarely taught in most professional academic programs."
rarely taught in most professional academic programs."
In the article
“Intertextuality and the Discourse Community”, James Porter, a scholar of
writing, states intertextuality-that is, the idea that all texts contain "traces" of other texts and that there can be no text that does not draw on some ideas from some other texts." Porter is saying that people are always getting ideas from other peoples texts that people have seen or read. So with this being said, do we always plagiarize? In the article, "Plagiarism:What's the Big Deal?," Hansen states in our academic culture, plagiarism is considered to be a form of cheating and therefore unethical." There are so many different definitions that explain what plagiarism really is.
Ron Scollon takes a closer look at this topic when he writes
in scholarly article “Language in Society.” He believes “that the concept of
plagiarism implies a number of things – about the nature of discourse, the nature
of the person who undertakes to communicate, and concepts of the ownership of
discourse as individual or personal property.” In comparison, Julianne East
argues that the person judging the reading has the power to determine whether
or not it is plagiarized. Scollon would disagree with this because he believes
that there should be a universal set of standards for defining plagiarism.
In the article,"Fraudulent Practices: Academic Misrepresentations of Plagiarism In The Name Of Good Pedagogy," Anson states "these cases represent varying textual practices based on social, economic, and educational purposes that often subvert the simplistic notion that every text is written by a specific author who deserves credit for what he or she has written." It's the way people were brought up, and how their schooling was when they learn about plagiarism. Plagiarism is getting more and more advanced, and new technologies are coming out to stop preventing it. Some people don't even know what plagiarism is, and how this construct is unethical to writing, and just not fair.
Refernces (Articles from internet):
Merriman, Joyce. "Plagiarism - What Is It? How To Avoid It." American Family Physician 82.12 (2010): 1428. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
Hansen, Brittney, Danica Stith, and Lee S. Tesdell. "Plagiarism: What’S The Big Deal?." Business Communication Quarterly 74.2 (2011): 188-191. Business Source Complete. Web. 20 Sept. 2012
Anson, Chris M. "Fraudulent Practices: Academic Misrepresentations Of Plagiarism In The Name Of Good Pedagogy." Composition Studies 39.2 (2011): 29-43. ERIC. Web. 20 Sept. 2012.
Good start here, Courtney. I really like that you've carved out this specific focus: imimitation vs. fraud. Where do we draw the line? It's a really interesting and productive way to think about the issue. You also do a pretty good job of bringing in sources and trying to put them in conversation with each other. I know how difficult this is and how strange it feels but it will make sense as you go on. I like the Anson source but i worry about some of the others that are outside of the discipline of writing studies. They might work, but they're not going to get to the heart of the issue from the perspective of someone. Keep looking and see what else you can find. It also seemed like you had some sources not in your Works Cited, Scollon and East. So where do you go from here. I really like the question you pose at the end of the first paragraph: which definition is the correct one? I think you could try to argue that we need to pay less attention to imitation as possible plagiarism and focus more on just plain fraud. Isn't it Porter who talks about how imitation can be an important tool for people learning to write? You could also try to find other articles that discuss the benefits and/or prevalance of imitation. By showing how common and helpful it is, you could make the argument that we need to go away from approaches that make plagiarism about imitation as well as fraud. You need to stick to sources that are from Rhetoric/Writing journals for the most part, though. I can help you if you're having trouble finding stuff. Don't forget about Rebecca Moore Howard's bibliographies on plagiarism. They're great and her stuff is really good too. Good work!
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