Go Original, Say No to Plagiarism
admin August 6, 2020
All of you might have heard of the word, ‘Plagiarism,’ and would have associated it with stealing someone’s words without permission. And it’s sad how little we know about plagiarism and that it also means stealing someone else’s ideas. It is the worst offence one can commit professionally or morally. It does not matter if it is done intentionally or unintentionally as any which way it has caused harm.
In today’s world, the flip side is many find plagiarism acceptable and do not have an idea that it is unethical or immoral. Stealing someone’s original idea partially or in entirety goes against ethics. Ethics are the very ethos that our training and NLP coaching field stands on. After all, we have to preach what we practice. Therefore, in our case, it is essential to follow the code of conduct mentioned by governing bodies such as IAPCCT and your respective work committees. When we do not do it, we slowly lose credibility and the very profession in which we wanted success, failure will embrace us at the end. As we always think of us first, I deemed it fit to speak about repercussions of plagiarism on self.
Now let us come to the effect the act of plagiarism has on the original creator. First of all, it is the breach of trust the creator placed on others when they displayed their work or shared their work by making it available to all and this if proved is a punishable offence. Secondly, the original creator will be de-motivated to do further creative work as he feels violated and wronged with others taking credit for his/her work. Thirdly, the intent with which the original creator came up with the idea might undergo dilution, further harming the actual effect of the outcome of the original creator’s idea. Overall plagiarism might even kill the drive for creativity in people as they might lose enthusiasm due to such ethical and moral suffering.
How to Avoid Plagiarism?
First of all, it is essential to understand plagiarism to avoid committing plagiarism. Plagiarism is not only stealing someone’s words or creative work but also stealing one’s own earlier works without proper citation or acknowledgement. No matter how much you add or subtract, copied words, works, or ideas will never turn out to be original.
Remember, plagiarism not only harms the original creator but also affects the reputation of the one who plagiarised it. In the professional world, goodwill is everything even if you are the most successful professional. Once the reputation is lost, your professional life is doomed. In extreme cases, as plagiarism is a crime, the one who commits plagiarism may have to pay a financial penalty or face the brunt of the law.
To avoid plagiarism, take the following steps. Firstly, acknowledge or cite sources always and that too properly. Secondly, take original as an inspiration and rewrite the words or rework the creative with your original inputs. Thirdly, don’t hesitate to take expert guidance on issues, works or ideas. Lastly, imbibe professional integrity, which will always keep you in good stead. Further, always strive to be original and create quality content. Therefore, keep learning, keep practising and keep evolving.
