Why do people do it? What effects do such actions have on the offender?
Why is it so appealing, to plagiarize? Are plagiarizers even aware of their offenses?
Online writing most likely perpetuates increasing amounts of plagiarism. Think about it; Plagiarism online is easy to commit without really being aware. Many of us online writers do our best to referto our resources and references, giving credit where credit is due. However, many others may not see this as important. Some of the time writers may have read something, “uploaded” it to their repertoire of a brain, and then forget to reference.
Psychology, more specifically the study of human behavior, indicates that we repeat behaviors if they are reinforced. Sometimes our environment reinforces behavior by doing nothing- an absent punishment for something we know is wrong encourages continuing the behavior. This is inherent in the child who tests boundaries; if punishment is inflicted for an offense the child learns then yes, indeed, the stated “rule” will more likely be followed next time around (This paragraph is a perfect example of the difficulties of plagiarism; this information I retrieved from my brain, and I have no idea where I read it. I can look it up for a reference. Feel free to scroll down to see if I did).
Is Plagiarism really a “rule”? Or is it a “manner,” proper writing etiquette to show respect to other authors?
Plagiarism is stated as unethical by professional writing associations such as APA and MLA. Additionally, there are laws against stealing property and using it for profit. So blatant plagiarism, such selling a copy of an article by someone else under your name is clearly against the law.
The gray areas are not so clear. In most college writing courses students are taught that one must cite sources for all work that is not common knowledge. What, then, is common knowledge? Do requirements for plagiarism change according to the discourse community? For example, if your audience is a board of Psychology Experts the meaning of the phrase “common knowledge” changes considerably.
As for consequences, enforcement of plagiarism policies depend upon the members of the group who made the policy. Punishments could range from no longer being allowed to publish within an organization’s publications to paying a fine or even spending time in jail. However, we all know that online plagiarism is unfortunately more difficult to track down.
*I decided to not cite a source, due to the nature of my primary audience.