Plagiarizing Can Be A Death Sentence For Writers

All writers of original works are concerned with plagiarism. Copyright Laws against plagiarism protect copyright holders from having their works plagiarized. Many people think it is ironic that the word plagiarism derives from “kidnapper” in Latin. However, it is true. If a person uses another person’s words without permission, they have stolen or kidnapped something owned by another, and violates U.S. copyright laws. Plagiarism is a very bad word in the writing world. Crediting the author of the work will not keep someone immune from violating copyright law. Plagiarism is plagiarism, even if the author is cited and credited.

One of the most common areas in which plagiarism is violated is in the academic world. Many students will copy and paste the information they need for their research papers and essays straight off the Internet and turn it in to their professors. However, this type of cheating is easily detected now with special programs that professors can use. Plagiarism is unethical, not only in the writing world, but in the academic world, as well.

Did you know that you could plagiarize a work but not violate the copyright protection? Let’s say you are using Abraham Lincoln’s exact words in a paper and you did not cite him as the source. Lincoln’s words aren’t copyrighted because they are in the public domain. But, you did plagiarize because you tried to pass off his words as your own.

Alternatively, if you use a picture in a book and you did not gain permission to use the book, you have violated copyright law because you did not source the artist and you did not get permission from the artist to use the picture.

If you are in school, the best way you can get around committing plagiarism is to simply list your sources. If you use someone’s word, list it in an endnote or in a footnote. List the resource in the bibliography. Another way around copyright law and plagiarism violations is to take notes when you are reading. Take notes in your own words and not verbatim from the source. Write your paper from your own words.

No one wants to be singled out for plagiarism, especially a student who is concerned about their reputation at school and writers who need to keep their credibility in good standing. With today’s technological advances, it is not too hard to pinpoint plagiarized work. Even webmasters who run websites are on to the plagiarism crowd. They can run their entire sites through a special program to see if their content has been stolen and duplicated elsewhere on the Internet.

If you are dealing with the written word, either academically or as a profession, it is a good idea that you only use your own words. It was probably easier to get away with plagiarism 100 years ago, but it is not that easy today. The chances are very high that if you are caught plagiarizing and breaking copyright laws, you will be caught. Not only is it embarrassing, but it can cost you a bundle in a lawsuit.

Richard Cunningham is a freelance journalist who covers copyright law for www.ResearchCopyright.com. Download his free e-book, "Copyright Basics" at ResearchCopyright.com.