The CBS Morning News Plagiarism story was shocking to watch, mainly because reputable professionals have stolen other people’s work and passed it off as their own for many years. Both the novelist and the journalist interviewed for the piece say that their plagiarism started small and was a “slow progression,” as one put it, or as the journalist said, a “slippery slope.” The piece briefly talked about the ways professors are trying to prevent plagiarism, such as by using TurnItIn.com. I totally understand why plagiarism is wrong. What I learned from the video is that it is more common than we believed. However, I do think that it is different to plagiarize music because that type of plagiarism is often unconscious. A melody or rhythm might be floating in our head and we unconsciously repeat it in a new composition, without realizing that the work is copied. The writers are doing it more on a conscious and deliberate level.
Regarding the scenario, I would tell Serena to try and consider copying and pasting a form of theft. It is easy to see how a person might view all online material as being free, but it is not. I would also let Serena...
It is not wrong to copy and paste if a proper citation is provided. I would also help Serena learn how to effectively summarize and paraphrase, letting her know that even when she does this, it is a good idea to create a citation and offer credit to the original source. There is no shame in paraphrasing or quoting, but it is wrong to do so without acknowledging the source of the material.
The Ashford University guide “6 Ways to Avoid Plagiarism and Generally Be a Cool Person” offers additional tips for students like Serena. Just like the professor in the video, Ashford University simply wants students to learn good writing habits early. The most important step is planning ahead, understanding that being able to digest source material makes it much easier to phrase things in our own words and thereby avoid accusations of plagiarism.
Assignment 2
Information literacy allows us to be more responsible consumers of all media. The more we know about information…
