Plagiarism

For this week's assignment, the int 95 class was supposed to read two articles on plagiarism, "What Is Plagiarism?" and "How to Avoid Plagiarism." Each article for the most part repeated and summarized the same idea. The idea that most people's ideas are not original thoughts produced solely on one's own rather a paraphrasing of other's idea. And by writing others thoughts and crediting oneself for them is wrong because then credit is being stolen from some one who actually deserves praise for their idea.
How to avoid plagiarism you may ask? Cite you sources! There are many different ways to cite sources such as apa, mla, or even foot notes. I think foot notes are a fun way to cite sources because they are by far the most descriptive in detail, but are also the most difficult way to cite papers. Another helpful tip... if you think it sounds familiar than check to see if you heard it before and if so cite it.
The way I feel about plagiarism is it is a form of cheating either way you spin it. Plus plagiarizing is an insult to the writer of the original piece and insult to one's own brain because plagiarize emphasizes how lazy people are. In my opinion it feels better to be graded off one own merit and receives a lower grade than someone else's. Anyone who plagiarizes is asking to be caught and should be punished. However, I know sometimes that it is unclear whether or not one is plagiarizing, but it is better to be sure and just cite the source than have to talk to one of the professors or T.A.s about a cheating scandal.