Is Plagiarism Just For Students?
[rant]
As a student, at least in the US, the subject of “plagiarism” is addressed from an early age. It’s a topic taken seriously: it isn’t so much about giving credit where credit’s due as taking the time and effort to formulate your own opinion, or at the very least prove that you understand what you’re talking about.
It was so integral to my educational experience that in college we had to sign an Honor Code pledge that, among other things, vouched for the authenticity of everything we submitted for a grade.
Yet now that I’m in the Real World ™, this concept seems a forgotten relic. Perhaps it’s as simple as it being too easy to not plagiarize, now that everything is digital and copy-and-pastable. Well regardless of the how and why, I’m tired of it.
[/rant]