Not crediting a source is one form of plagiarism.
Plagiarism can refer to several types of actions, including not crediting a source for information used in an essay or presentation or using someone else's ideas as your own. Colleges classify plagiarism as academic dishonesty. According to Dr. Beth Dixon, a professor of philosophy at Pittsburgh State University, students need to understand why plagiarism is wrong. She suggests discussing the ethical issues with students.
Ethics Defined
Before exploring the ethical issues, the term "ethics" needs defining. Merriam-Webster Online offers several definitions, including "the principles of conduct governing an individual or group" and "a theory or system of moral values." Explaining the ethical issues of plagiarism covers both definitions because prohibiting such activity involves determining the principles by which students should act and because whether or not students adhere to those principles will be determined by their own moral system.
Kantian Ethics
Immanuel Kant's theory of moral law offers guidance on plagiarism and ethics. In his theory, everyone should be treated equally under the moral law and your behavior determines the moral law you would desire for the world. Consequently, if you steal someone else's ideas without giving them credit, then you are saying that is how you wish to be treated.
Utilitarianism
Under the utilitarian ethical theory, good and bad actions depend on the outcomes they produce. For example, an action is morally good if it produces more pleasure than pain. However, everyone affected must count equally; therefore, if the action produces pleasure for you at the expense of causing pain to a dozen strangers, the action would be morally wrong. In the case of plagiarism, the pleasure provided to you by cheating does not make up for the pain caused for the original author of the ideas, the other students, the faculty and even yourself in the long term.
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher and student of Plato, believed ethics allowed you to be as happy as possible while balancing your actions between extremes. This established a moral ideal or the concept of who you want to be as a person. According to Dr. Dixon, students should ask themselves that question before plagiarizing. Dishonesty violates one of the Aristotle's virtues and, therefore, makes it harder for plagiarizing students to achieve their moral ideal.
Legal Issues
Plagiarism violates the law as well as individual moral codes. In North Carolina, for example, plagiarism and helping someone else plagiarize are both considered unlawful. Outside academics, if you earn more than $2,500 from plagiarized content or ideas, you could face $250,000 in fines and a 10-year prison sentence. Students who commit plagiarism must deal with ramifications including failing grades for the course or assignment, suspension from activities such as sports or fraternities, and expulsion from the university.
Tags: ethical issues, someone else, crediting source, else ideas, moral ideal