Acknowledge others… and others should acknowledge you, too

As defined by Dictionary.com Stealing is “to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right […]” therefore, plagiarism, using another person’s work without acknowledging them, is stealing! I would bet that you could think of a circumstance where someone else took credit for something you did and claimed it as their own without you! Isn’t it awful?

As a student, worker, and individual I complete many tasks and assignments. Unfortunately, I have experienced a few circumstances where other individuals took my work as their own and left me with nothing. In the end, everyone dealt with the consequences.

As I continue to learn about composition I understand how to utilize citations and a reference page of my own to avoid plagiarism. As a student and a professional I know the importance of giving credit where credit is due, and I now know how to react if someone else ever takes my work. For example, if someone was to use my work without recognizing me as the creator the first thing I would do is obtain some sort of proof of the duplicated material. Then, I would politely ask the duplicator to please dispose of any content they “borrowed” from me. If nothing happens as a result of this confrontation I would consult a higher power such as a professor (because I am a student) or a supervisor (if it pertains to my work/job). Hopefully, I will never experience any sort of duplication, but if I do I would especially hope that it does not go beyond this level; if it did it would be important to consult a lawyer and continue to file for copyright infringement with their legal assistance. As a student and soon-to-be medical professional I doubt that I will ever experience such a problematic situation, but you never know!

Please be conscious of your work; try to avoid copying someone else and be cognizant of your resources and other influential factors because plagiarism is theft whether it is intentional or not. Furthermore, don’t you want to be original, unique, yourself? Be proud of the work that you do, you do not need anyone else but you to be successful!

That’s it for now, Cheers!

Reference

“Stealing” Dictionary.com. (2010). http://thesaurus.com/browse/stealing

P.S. it wasn’t that difficult to give due credit now was it?!