Plagiarism an easy option but does the perpetrator no credit

ast week, we asked our readers how they viewed plagiarism and how they avoided it in their countries. And what should be done in Viet Nam to protect copyright and stop intellectual robbery. Below are several responses:

Jade Claxton, Richard Harris, British, Ha Noi

Plagiarism generally is a bad thing because it disrespects the hard work people have done to create articles, write books or make films. In England, we have strict copyright laws.

Authors know if their work is their own, but others might not be aware of what plagiarism means, especially students. It has become so easy to copy and paste information from the internet!

There is an initiative in British high schools to teach more about plagiarism because it is just too easy to go to Wikipedia and copy your homework from there.

When British students go to university, they find it much more difficult to use other people's work without acknowledgement because people at tertiary level are usually so aware of the temptation.

Student's work is scanned and then goes through a special database. If there are matches indicating that there already exists something similar, alarm bells start ringing. If it turns out to be copied, the student gets a zero mark. His work is not worth anything.

If you copy something, you have to reference it correctly.

Miriam Glass, Swiss, Ha Noi

If you want to create something new, you usually gather information about
what is already known. Knowledge from existing sources influences most new creations and it's not necessarily a bad thing to profit from what is already known. But those who create new work, no matter on what subject, should be sure to reference any existing material.

Discussions about plagiarism are necessary since the global use of the internet brings new challenges regarding intellectual property. But what if you can't tell the origin of material you are using? Is it a problem to copy something onto a blog if it's not for profit?

Society has to think about a definition for intellectual property that fits the social and technical changes raised by the internet. In Switzerland, a new website was just launched to report on those suspected of plagiarism in research. New software to scan papers is not enough.

Douglas Holwerda, American, Ha Noi

Truth and justice are ideals that are universally revered but seldom attained at either personal or society levels. Lying, cheating and stealing, the components of plagiarism, are unwelcome behaviour and break the moral fabric of a society.

The difference between copying and being influenced by information is murky and one that is often not worthy the expense of litigiously pursuing. Few ideas are independently creative and the forefront of any creative endeavour emerges from some influence or another.

Tertiary institutions have a big challenge as advances in technology make it possible to cut and paste together an entire degree. It has forced teachers and administrators into heightened roles, that of policing the authenticity of the work presented to them.

It seems that plagiarism is often excused because "everybody is doing it". However, with punishment and persistent messages, the ideals of truth and justice will prevail.

Ryu Hashimoto, Japanese, HCM City

Plagiarism is a world problem. I always treat plagiarism as criminal action and wonder if those who steal ideas from others can be hold their heads up. In many East Asian countries, many people do this with the simple explanation that they are "just borrowing ideas."

I was surprised to find an amusement park that looks like Disney Land in one big East Asian country. Do they know about copyright or intellectual property rights?

Plagiarism is common in education. For example, when teachers give home work, some students completely borrow their ideas from the internet.

Tran Thanh Binh, HCM City

In today's society, plagiarism is becoming a big problem not only for students at all levels, but also for those producing movies and music. However, many claim not to understand what plagiarism means. Therefore, I want to share my thoughts on the topic.

According to Your-Dictionary, plagiarism is defined as "copying or stealing some-one else's words or ideas and claiming or presenting them as if they were your own". In education, plagiarism can lead to the expulsion of students from school.

To avoid plagiarism, here are some tips from American teachers:

– Develop a topic based on what has already been said and written but write something new and original.

– Rely on the opinions of experts and authorities, but improve on and/or disagree with them.

– Give credit to previous researchers, but make your own significant contribution.

– Improve your English by building upon what you hear and read, but use your own words and your own voice.

Governments should have stricter regulations to control the problem.

Daniel Pollard, British, Ha Noi

Despite copyright laws and regulations, the growth of internet plagiarism has become a part of most societies – and not a nice or fair part. It is difficult to have any blanket laws against the practice since plagiarism takes many different forms, from food companies stealing other food companies' ideas to students copying exam materials directly from the internet.

I do not know the best way to deal with these situations, but at a corporate level, the law should be stringent and well enforced everywhere in the world. The growth of the internet over the last 10 years has turned the internet into a working tool.

Most people know what can be done with it and have at least heard about intellectual property. If they haven't, they're probably playing dumb!

John McDonald, Australian, Ha Noi

There is no harm in using the words of someone else in a published article or student paper, but the unofficial rules state that the piece, or pieces, must always be properly attributed. This not only respects the work of earlier writers/researchers, but also enhances the value of the work it is added to.

There is no arbitrary length for the words or phrases borrowed, but they cannot be, as any honest person would instinctively recognise, used without attribution.

For example, to demolish or contribute to a political, academic or religious argument, it may be necessary to quote at some length – and perhaps repeatedly – adding the necessary reasoning in between.

Then, of course, to effectively complete the job, all sources must be provided so that the reader can pursue the matter further, if he or she so wishes. — VNS