Sam Cook

September 5, 2015

Dilemma Plagiarism

DeVry University

Professor Wallis

Examination of a Dilemma on Plagiarism Recently while in my dorm room doing my homework trying not to be distracted by my roommate I noticed him on the particular website. I peered over in his direction to get a better view of what he was looking at and I was shocked. I wheeled my chair over to his desk and looked at him with an expression of “are you serious” He shrugged his shoulders and said “what”. I said to him “I know you’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do”. I explained to him the importance of doing his own work and writing that using someone else’s ideas or writings is an ethical violation. It’s a form of theft. “Plagiarism is passing off other people's ideas or words as one's own. It is doubly offensive in that it both steals and deceives” Ruggiero, V. (01/2011). He continued to look through the website which offered all kinds and research papers and term papers. I ask him do you have values. What are your core values? He looked at me peculiarly as if I shouldn’t be asking him such a question. He told me that he does and the only reason he is thinking about purchasing a term paper is so he can focus more time on his other classes and be able to complete all assignments. I reminded him of the school honor code and possibility of being caught and failing as well as being possibly expelled. I also told him that in my opinion he’s rationalizing why he is thinking about purchasing a term paper or justifying un-ethical behavior. He asked me what I meant and told him you think it’s necessary, it’s ethical. It the false assumption that if something, like his term paper, is necessary it doesn’t make a difference how your assignment done. This kind of thinking is an ends justifies the means reasoning. I asked him how you would feel if you poured you heart into a research paper with many hours of work just for someone else to pass it off as their own. He said it would most likely make him angry. I reiterated that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Take someone else’s hard work, time, effort and most importantly someone ideas. “Once ideas are put into words and published, they become intellectual property, and the author has the same rights over them as he or she has over material property such as a house or a car” Ruggiero, V. (01/2011). Our conversation continued and I asked him wouldn’t you rather have the satisfaction of doing your own work and receiving a well-deserved grade? I stressed how bad it would be for him if he was found to be in violation of plagiarism and the shame that would follow. Be known for dishonesty and theft would ring though out the university and it’s just not worth it. I advised him on other ways to incorporate other peoples work by paraphrasing which is restating one’s ideas in your own words. I also told him that you cite ones work by including a reference page containing all the sources where research came from. Again I asked him about his core values and how important it is to maintain integrity and the joy of doing your own work. Most importantly not risking the consequence of being failed or dismissed from the institution.

References
Ruggiero, V. (01/2011). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues, 8th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf Online]. Retrieved from http://devry-alt.vitalsource.com/#/books/
0077794575/