Young Roots
Giving credit where it is due
By Allanah Paragas
“Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism.” – George A. Moore
What is the first word that comes to your mind when you hear or encounter the word ‘plagiarism’? Well, if I haven’t yet encountered this word, I would have related ‘plagiarism’ to ‘vandalism’. According to timesofindia.com, the word ‘plagiarism’ was derived from the Latin word plagiare which means “to kidnap or abduct”. The word was first used during the 1600s. Today, Merriam-Webster dictionary define ‘plagiarism’ as “the act of plagiarizing”; whereas, plagiarize is defined as “to and pass off (ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.”
I first encountered the word ‘plagiarism’ when I was still in elementary—the time when I joined the school’s newspaper club. As a campus journalist, it was already a big deal for me—being aware of what comprises plagiarism. Today as a student pursuing a degree in Communication with Journalism as my concentration and Broadcast Communication as my minor, it has already been a bigger deal for me. As a journalist, I am not allowed to use or copy someone else’s works without giving proper attribution or reference. I am not allowed to do so because it disregards the sixth provision of the journalist’s code of ethics—which is “I shall not commit any act of plagiarism”. Furthermore, committing an act of plagiarizing is also against Philippine Laws. It defies Republic Act 8293 or the popularly known as the “Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines”.
The University of the Philippines Baguio where I am studying now strictly implements the “no plagiarism” rule. If a student’s work contains information (or even tidbits of information) copied from somebody else’s work/s without attribution or reference to the original author, the student is guilty of plagiarism, is automatically given a grade of 5.0 (failing grade), and would have to retake the subject. In extreme cases (i.e. copying pages of information without giving proper reference or attribution to the original author), students do not only get a grade of 5.0, they will also have to face the consequences given by a jury composed of university officials and professors. Terrifying? Yes, it is.
Not only journalists or students should know about plagiarism. Everyone should be aware about it. Plagiarism should be avoided, and it should NOT be practiced. Actually not all people are aware of committing plagiarism. For example, in Facebook, some people do not give attribution to the author of the quotation/s they post as their status. The act of giving credit to a person for his or her work is not only for the sake of ethics or for to be a good citizen, but it is also for showing respect to that person for his magnum opus or masterpiece.
Before committing an act of plagiarism, ask yourselves: What would the author feel if he or she has not been given credit for his or her work? What would I feel if people will use my work in which I am not given credit for?
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