Plagarism and Academic Honesty: Technology Involved

Plagiarism and cheating are a reality that students, administrators, and work places must deal with. It is wrong to copy someones work without giving the proper credit. Within academia   we are required to cite our sources properly, there are rules set forth that many students learn throughout higher level English classes to properly give credit. Students learn ways to cite sources using MLA as well as APA formats, and laws are enforced to trademark and copyright certain works and terms.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary website defines plagiarism as": to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source"
Technology can in some ways make plagiarism easier to perform. The internet is at everyone's fingertips nowadays and we can find information very easily. Communication makes ideas move quickly and one can easily use someone else's ideas without knowing it. According to plagiarism.org the idea that it is just copying, or borrowing ideas isn't necessarily what is so serious about the act. People can gain power and money illegitimately. This is serious considering someone could have put a lot of effort into something.

The technology we use today can make stealing someone elses work easier because of the quickness information can be transferred.  One could hear someone say something and pass it off as their own right away over a facebook comment on their phone or tweet. Also the internet gives out so much information it could be hard to find out the true source. On the flipside there are ways to prevent plagiarism using sites like turnitin.com and by tracing the origin of the document.