There is a lot of buzz recently about the writer who plagiarized heavily for her book as a Harvard sophomore. I just want to argue a little nuance of why I think she should be punished severely. I think she thought she could easily get away with it and went on her happy way with all the fame she got as only a sophomore in college. Based off of the articles I have read, I think that the fact that she doesn't seem sincerely apologetic for plagiarizing means that she would have done it again if she had the chance. I have no sympathy for her, at all.
Plus, it isn't fair for the rest of us now who would have thought of publishing a book when we are still between the ages of 17-25. Now publishers will be more wary about young seemingly prodigies!
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I guess we writers have to try a little harder now.
This is why I love fiction. You can just make stuff up.
Yeah plus, personally I find it hard to make my nonfiction writing sound interesting. It just comes out to be facts.
Ehh... I'm just a little unclear about what is considered plagiarism and what is not. If you hear an idea, get inspired by it, is it plagiarism?
Than EVERYONE would be guilty of this
pla·gia·rize="To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2).To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another). "
Didn't the girl take like 6 sentences from the other book. One thing is to copy a book 100%, but is this case that serious?
I mean, how many books steal ideas from Romeo and Juliet?
Then why not somehow cite or reference those six sentences? I don't suppose none of those books that reference another books didn't feel the need to somehow give acknowledgments. I've read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and that definately gave acknowledgments to Shakespeare. I've read books with random song lyrics in them; they've all given credits to the artist and songs.
It's ridiculous to claim that EVERYONE is guilty of illegally plagiarizing just because they present ideas.
Plagiarism:
Presenting the words or ideas of someone else as your own without proper acknowledgment of the source. (www.sunysb.edu/library/tutorial/glossary/index.html)
The false presentation of someone else's writing as one's own. In the case of copyrighted work, plagiarism is illegal. (www.sedgeband.com/glossary.html)
On the topic of Harvard girl:
"...in late April The Harvard Crimson revealed that Viswanathan had plagiarized more than a dozen passages from two young adult books by Megan McCafferty." (http://www.reason.com/news/show/36750.html)
She only broke the law a little? She still broke the law.