Examples Of Plagiarism By Evan Osnos

Plagiarism, defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary, is “the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person”, but in simpler terms is the wrongful copying of another’s work for your own(Merriam-Webster). Plagiarism though seeming like a simple offense, can cause the downfall, if not caught, of a creative person and their work. However when justice is served, and the plagiarizer is caught, they can lose everything from their reputation to even their job. Even though plagiarism seems like a common sense crime not to commit, people such as Joe Biden, Jane Goodall, and even president Barack Obama, have been found to plagiarize another’s work. For the purpose of this essay, Jayson Blair, a once up and coming

Plagiarism is a serious issue that may diminish the value of a scholarly work and interferes with the professional growth of an individual. For example, in 2003, Jayson Blair resigned from his position as a reporter for the New York Time because of “alleged plagiarism” (Dolak, 2003). Another case of plagiarism would be Matthew C. Whitaker, an associate professor at Arizona State University who in 2011 and 2015 was accused of plagiarism (Ryman, 2017). In both scenarios, Jayson Blair and Matthew C. Whitaker failed to properly paraphrase and cite sources (Dolak, 2003; Ryman 2017).

As one begins to grasp the concept of Schroth’s (2012) article The Plagiarism Plague, it is easy to identify the author’s dissatisfaction for plagiarism and the negative connotations he has for someone who is involved in this heinous offense. He initiates and summarizes his commentary with personal stories of how plagiarism has affected him. Schroth offers several solutions for the copyright issue that is upon us; he states, “the sanction for plagiarism must be at least an F on the paper, accompanied by a letter in the student's file to be consulted if it happens again, with the understanding that a second offense would mean expulsion.” Schroth was also sure to mention the collective approach necessary from all educators for his solution to be implemented. He believes the “policy will be effective only with leadership from the president and full cooperation from the faculty.” The writer goes on to explain how plagiarism has become an epidemic in this society and the effects of its prevalence thereof. Although plagiarism has become rampant in this society, it is still immoral and unethical. College students continue to plagiarize however, because they refuse to regard their education as a top priority and it has become culturally acceptable for people to falsify information without any serious penalties for their dishonesty.

Plagiarism cases can provide insight on the dire consequences that can occur if a student is caught copying within an academic setting. The professors accused Amanda Serpico, a former student of Rutgers University, of plagiarizing on her opinion paper in her argumentation class (Bailey, 2011). Amanda obtained partial credit for using citations in a majority of the writing and providing the sources in the reference section, but she did not properly cite at least three verbatim passages that she used within her work (Bailey, 2011). Amanda utilized Turnitin software to review her document and to detect plagiarism before turning in the paper for grading, but the plagiarism accusation still resulted in her receiving a failing grade on the assignment and in the course and denied admission to several graduate schools. (Bailey, 2011).

Malcolm Gladwell stated “plagiarism has gone from being bad literary manners to something much closer to a crime” (Gladwell, 2004). This quote explained how plagiarism was before just a simple act and now people are getting punished for plagiarism. Nobody is exempted from plagiarism. Plagiarism is an act most people do without even noticing it.

In the written article, “Why Politicians Plagiarize So Often” by Evan Osnos it is very clear that plagiarism among individuals in the political world isn’t as uncommon as some may think. Throughout the article many well-known politicians were put in the hot seat and accused of plagiarism. One of these well-known individuals being Senator John Walsh. In the article it states that he was accused of plagiarism because, “…one of his graduate-school papers contained unattributed passages by other writers…” (Osnos, ¶.1). Although this remained a prevalent issue, he wasn’t the only one that was suspected or caught for plagiarism. Other individuals including Joe Biden, Rand Paul, Joseph McCarthy, and even Vladimir Putin. The issue of plagiarism has been a lingering subject for years, going as far back as the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

“Clanton argues that the latter isn’t justified by familiar appeals to deterrence. He claims, moreover, that even if it curbs plagiarism, it encourages the wrong sorts of motivations, a result that is ultimately detrimental to the aim of higher education to inspire civic virtue in students.” (585, Clanton)

Almost all colleges enforce policy when students commit plagiarism. With regard to plagiarism, two authors’ arguments differ. One of authors, Emma Teitel, a student in Dalhousie University, argued that the punishment of plagiarism is un-fare. She was punished for plagiarism in her third year. She claimed that she just made a technical mistake on her essay and did not intentionally plagiarize from another author’s work (Teitel, November 8, 2011). On the other hand, according to Todd Pettigrew, a professor in Kings University, colleges should make a rule clearly for plagiarized assignments depending on the number of offenses. For example, for student who commits plagiarism the second time should get a stronger punishment than the first offense.

In the professional field, academic dishonesty obstructs respect and fairness between all students, staff and faculty members that share a common goal. It shatters mutual trust that is shared and maintained between students and faculty members in an academic relationship. When students claim someone else work as their own, they are giving credit to themselves and not the original publisher. Also, it violates the standard academic integrity by delivering false information to fellow students and professors. The 2017-2018 Brandman Catalog makes a valid point that, “The University expects that students will conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner and respect the intellectual work of others” (Brandman University, 2017). This shows how

Kennedy once said, “A child miseducated is a child lost”. In this circumstance, President Kennedy’s statement is exceptionally true. By not receiving a severe punishment, these students are not receiving the valuable education of being held accountable for their actions. Not acknowledging the seriousness of plagiarism early on could eventually lead to much greater consequences than receiving a zero. In a point of fact, anyone who reproduces someone’s intellectual property can be prosecuted in a court of law. Understanding the severity of plagiarism early on could avoid such a punishment altogether, by accepting a punishment incomparable to the one that lays

Another person who got caught plagiarizing is Matthew Whitaker a professor at Arizona State University. His plagiarism series began back in 2012 shortly after he got promoted a tenured professor at the school. It cost this professor his job after he got caught plagiarizing in multiple controversies that dated back to over four years ago. Before Whitaker lost his job Arizona State University investigated his plagiarism cases. Whitaker’s colleagues were so upset they turned on him because of

Journalists, scientists, novelists and politicians have been accused of appropriating the work of others. By turning in someone else’s work as your own. For example for the Journalists, The website BuzzFeed dismissed one of its writers on Friday after finding 41 instances of “sentences or phrases copied word for word from other sites” among the 500 stories he had written, said the site’s editor in chief, Ben Smith. For example scientists, The crimes and misdemeanors of science used to be handled mostly in-house, with a private word at the faculty club, barbed questions at a conference, maybe a quiet dismissal. For example politicians, Senator John Walsh of Montana took most of a 2007 final paper required for his master’s degree from the United

Plagiarism destroyed this man’s political career and reputation, but history has shown me that everyone is not subject to the same scrutiny even when charged with greater offenses.

“In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone elses work and lying about it afterward.” (turnitin.com). After reading What is Plagiarism, I understand how easy and common plagiarism can be. I did not realize how many types of plagiarism there were. It almost seemed like plagiarism was inevitable until I read the ways to cite properly and safely. With this understanding in mind, writing seems more difficult, yet the quality of the piece is much better. These articles helped me understand writing in a whole new light. In the article “Army War College Starts Plagiarism Inquiry of Senator John Walsh’s Thesis” authors Nick Corasaniti and Jonathan Martin explain the story of how John Walsh plagiarized. Corasaniti

According to our readings, "the type of plagiarism deliberate or unintentional has an impact upon the perception of the offence for both faculty and students" (Academic Integrity 2011). This is an important distinction to some people, although the act of plagiarism remains unacceptable no matter why it is done.