So I got flagged for my birthday...what did you get? (Plagiarism the plague of all time)

So yesterday was my birthday.  I had such a great day and decided to do a post about some research work I have been doing for the last 6 months.  I have been editing 15 different books about Emotional intelligence. This is a topic very well known to me.  Why?  Because I did my research.  I am nearing the stage of finalizing the books, and decided that this would be a good topic to write about.  I was totally wrong.   I got flagged.  

At first I was quite upset about it, but due to my "emotional intelligence" I decided that I would just let it be water under the bridge.  This incident however, motivated me to write today's post about plagiarism.  

                                                              

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So what exactly is plagiarism?                                                      

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. synonyms: copying, infringement of copyright, piracy, theft, stealing; informal cribbing
"accusations of plagiarism"

                                                                    

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Never have I ever been accused of committing a crime.  So did I copy someones work?  No!                       Did I steal someone else' s work?  No I did not.  

I basically plan a post with good headings, choose my pics and then start writing.  The fact that some similar information might be available on the internet, does not make me a thief.  Even the comment I received was ridiculous........   

This article appears to be spun from this and other sources.   

Appears to be, and IS are basically two worlds apart..........  

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To me plagiarism is  a very touchy subject.  As you know by now I am an online teacher, and my students constantly use the internet for projects.  I actually use a plagiarism tool to check my student's work. (Maybe I should use this to check my own work in future????:)

Here are a few important tools that you might find useful: 

https://elearningindustry.com/top-10-free-plagiarism-detection-tools-for-teachers

So when did plagiarism become a crime?

The first person to use the word "plagiary" in English was Ben Johnson.  This new word indicated literary theft.  Plagiarism was finally regarded as a crime in the 18 th century when the creation of TRULY  NEW content was prized.  

(I got this information from the internet by the way:)

If you would like to read more about the originality of plagiarism please do so from this link 

http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/569 

The fact of the matter is that plagiarism is wrong.  Taking information from the internet that is not original content is wrong and can have dire consequences.  Being accused of plagiarism makes you suspicious. It can definitely ruin you as a trusted person.  Although plagiarism can not always be proved, allegations can ruin your reputation. 

                            No reputation is immune against plagiarism. 

                                    

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Schools and universities take plagiarism very seriously.  Students are often suspended/expelled for this offense and if you want to be a serious writer, plagiarism can ruin your writing career forever. Some plagiarism violations can even cause you some jail time.  If it is not your own work or thoughts, it's easy. Do not post it.   Whether you steal a car, or a pencil, stealing is just that.  Stealing! 

If someone steals your car, you would want the thief to get caught, and locked up. If someone steals your material, it should have the same consequences.

If you are not sure about posting content, do a Google search.  Use a plagiarism tool.  Just do it! 

Don't steal.  Don't plagiarize. Don't just flag.  It is the right thing to do!