Don't Be Petty, Stop Plagiarizing!

 "To Engage In Downright Plagiarism is Disappointing. It's Cynical, Opportunistic, and Hypocritical" 

-Saul Bass

                                                    Credit: Rad Ryan Edits

Imagine working on something you are truly passionate about. You spend so much time, energy, and money creating it. Finally, you finish it and decide to share it with the world! Then, someone takes what you've made for their own personal gain and doesn't give you credit! Others who see it have no idea that product is yours. All that effort and pride you put into it is not acknowledged. Wouldn't that hurt your feelings and make you feel taken advantage of? Wouldn't you be pissed off?! I know without a doubt I would be. It's rude and inconsiderate, and it's plagiarism. This is why plagiarism is taken so seriously in academic settings. Researchers and scholars spend so much time and money to produce their own studies in an effort to educate others. They want us to take what we've learned from their research, and make our own connections about the world. Not only is it disrespectful and petty to take someone's ideas as our own, but it defeats the whole purpose! We are all humans who can think for ourselves and create our own ideologies. We can be influenced and taught by others, but we shouldn't take credit for their ideas and conceptualizations. Plagiarism is so important in every context. Whether that context is scholarly, music, art, engineering, or medically, no one deserves to have their hard earned work stolen from them. If everyone plagiarized what the next person said, our world would lack originality and creativity! Society would simply not thrive the way it does now! The different perspectives everyone has on the world is the beauty of humanity. Think about that the next time you're writing a paper and don't quote the author. It's not about your professors trying to give you a hard time. They want you to draw your own conclusions with the help of other's ideas. Plagiarism comes down to a matter of respect, plain and simple.