Plagiarism: How Did Writers Ever Write Before Copy and Paste?

"They had their lean books with the fat of others' works."—Robert Burton

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction—Ya Think?

By Scoti Springfield Domeij

I love to laugh. The irony of this report from The Chronicle of Higher Education made me snort. They reported that Southern Illinois University's (SIUC) 2007 draft of a new anti-plagiarism policy appeared to plagiarize Indiana University's 2005 139-word definition of plagiarism. The SIUC anti-plagiarism committee was attempting to combat scrutiny and reduce the Plagiarazzi among their midst.

SUIC has had a number of high profile plagiarism controversies, including their president, Glenn Poshard—who was found guilty of an innocent mistake. He 'inadvertently plagiarized' his dissertation. Perhaps President Poshard motto was, "Copy from one, it's plagiarism: copy from two, it's research,"—John Milton.

According to SIUC's Anti-Plagiarism Committee's Findings…

To most academics and writers, plagiarism is a serious violation of professional ethics. Individuals in charge of writing SIUC's plagiarism policy responded to these allegations of double-dose plagiarism.

• "Why reinvent the wheel," SIUC speech communications professor Lenore Langsdorf.
  
• "We think this is a non-story," said David West, director of government and media relations for the school.
  
• "It could be a coincidence. Any definition by nature is going to be close to another definition," Arthur M. "Lain" Adkins, the plagiarism committee chairperson who also serves as director of the university.
  
• "If it needs to be footnoted, then that will be done," John Haller, retired vice president of academic affairs at SIUC.
  

Avoid the plague of plagiarism or innocent mistakes. After cutting and pasting someone else's work, make it your own by clicking on your thesaurus.

Like not paying taxes, plagiarize. If caught, then you can correct it.

Whether you are a fiction or nonfiction writer, please enjoy this humorous two-minute video "Writing Fiction Lesson 101: Basic Operating Procedure."

Eerie Writing Experience

"The bees pillage the flowers here and there but they make honey of them which is all their own; it is no longer thyme or marjolaine: so the pieces borrowed from others he will transform and mix up into a work all his own."—Michael Eyquen de Montaigne

Busy writer bees Google key words to find "original" writing ideas. I researched holiday blues and depression so I could write an article for my solo parenting blog, www.courageoussingleparenting.blogspot.com. Then today I picked up a magazine and read an article about holiday depression. The words sounded eerily familiar. From the three triggers that cause holiday depression to other points, the article sounded just like my research. I could even underline familiar lines that I recall reading. So much for a photographic memory. It was a strange feeling to think that the writer may have researched the topic on Google and then cut and pasted together a "new" article.

Beyond Google

I use Google to jumpstart my creative process, read what's already been written and learn from experts. However, this article sounded neither new nor fresh. If you rely on Google searches for research, here are a few tips to avoid plagiarism.

1. Write using your own voice and your experiences. Do not cut and paste other people's voices and stories.
   
2. Quote others. Link to their article. But please avoid regurgitating other's viewpoints or phrases. What do you think or believe about the topic? Share it.
   
3. Do not copy and paste a quote and then substitute words using your Thesaurus. Read the information, and then say it aloud in your own words. Now write it.
   
4. Give credit where credit is due.
   
5. When you paraphrase keep the facts and content in context.
   
6. Run your copy through http://www.plagiarismchecker.com. It will identify whether you've accidentally copied from the Internet. Plagiarism Checker can also help you find out whether someone has plagiarized your work and posted it to the Internet.