Over the last week or so the word “plagiarism” has been repeatedly used in connection with the political campaign of Senator Barack Obama, a candidate for the US Democratic Party Presidential nomination. It seems that Senator Obama used the words of one of his friends and political supporters, Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, in a recent speech given in Ohio, without crediting him for his words. As a result, his opponent, Senator Hillary Clinton, accused Obama of plagiarism.
Definition of Plagiarism
Whether one supports or does not support Senator Obama, the question is, was this an act of plagiarism or not? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “plagiarism is the act of using or passing off the ideas or writings of another as one’s own.” The act of plagiarism is a very serious matter especially in institutions of higher learning, as well as professions such as journalism, film/music, statistics and research.
Plagiarism and legalism
Does it matter if someone has given another permission to use their words? If one were to strictly apply the written rule of plagiarism, Obama would be guilty. The simple reason is that he did not credit Governor Patrick as the original author of the words, ideas and concepts used in his speech. Nonetheless, one could also argue that the heart behind plagiarism is one of deception and fraud. Obama clearly stated later that he should have given his friend credit while giving his speech. He implied that the omission was not one of malice, but one of error and oversight.
Does plagiarism have to be an “intentional act“?
Although plagiarism is thought of as an act of cheating, one can plagiarize without malicious intent. One example is an omission or oversight as in the case of Senator Obama. Nonetheless, even unintentional plagiarism can result in job/school suspension and/or other disciplinary action. According to the Plagiarism Policy at Rutgers University, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, many students plagiarize unknowingly. Their policy states - “More commonly, however, students plagiarize without realizing they are doing so. This generally happens when a student fails to acknowledge the source of an idea or phrasing. While unintentional plagiarism is generally treated more leniently than intentional plagiarism, it is nonetheless a sign of sloppiness and/or failure to educate oneself about what plagiarism is“.
Summary on plagiarism
So the truth is - one can commit plagiarism unknowingly and without wrongful intent. Therefore, it is important to take extreme care when drafting papers, articles or speeches. An accusation of plagiarism can be at the least embarassing, but in serious cases can be detrimental to one's academic or professional career.
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