Chapter 2. Plagiarism
Chapter 2. Plagiarism
Chapter 2. Plagiarism
In this chapter, you will know the different information about the worldwide problem we are
facing as of now, one of the most common issue on the institution and considered as fraud. An illegal
In Oxford University, plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else work or ideas as your
own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgment.
All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered
under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. Under the regulations
for examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is a disciplinary offense. On the other hand, in
HKU Research services, plagiarism is presented as the easy access to and the ease of cutting and
pasting from a wide range of materials available on the internet. Plagiarism is regarded as a very
serious offense in the academic world. It constitutes academic theft - the offender has 'stolen' the work
of others and presented the stolen work as if it were his or her own. It goes to the integrity and honesty
of a person. It stifles creativity and originality, and defeats the purpose of education.
Ashworth , Freewood , and MacDonald (2003) imply that this is a time of considerable change
in higher education , and the changes affect the concern for increased plagiarism. Changes in higher
education include moving from the elite status to a mass-System. Changes in assessment are changing
from formal proctored exams to a greater emphasis on coursework such as term papers and projects .
Another change presented by Ashworth et, al. (2003) is the increased focus on group -based learning.
With the ambiguity on collective and individuals ownership this method of learning may have an
influence on the perception of academic honesty over-all. The culture of plagiarism itself may have
been derived from such implementation as the copyright law, or the cultural history of the idea of
individuals originality, or contemporary cultural variations). Although the copyright law was originally
intended to restrict competition among publisher, it has since involved to protect the rights of authors.
The idea as authors rather than repeatedly presenting materials from the existing literary world. The
Similarly to Cizek (1999), on his research review on academic dishonesty he concludes that,
although studies over time indicate males admit to academic dishonesty of males and female reporting
are about equal. Also, Cizek (1999) and McCabe and Trevino (1997) have reported data on the impact
age may have on the engagement of academic dishonesty. In both cases, the researchers have found
that the engagement of academic dishonesty decreases as age increases and nontraditional learners tend
On the contrary, on Mcshane and Von Glinow (2005) Ethical Theory, Morality and Ethics
they describe ethics as the study of moral values involving actions that may be right or wrong or result
in good or bad outcomes. When discussing ethical principles, one should consider moral intensity and
the ethical sensitivity as well . Moral intensity measures the degree to which application of ethical
principle is necessary when the intensity of a moral issue increases, a higher degree of ethical
consideration is necessary. Ethical sensitivity deals with a personal characteristics, the more ethically
sensitive a person is, the better he/she is able to fixed from ethical theory. When discussing ethical
sensitivity as well . Moral intensity measures the degree to which the application of ethical principle is
necessary. When the intensity of a moral issue increases, a higher degree of ethical consideration is
necessary. Ethical sensitivity deals with a personal characteristic. The more ethically sensitive a person
is, the better he/she is able to recognize the presence and importance of an ethical issue.
For instance, in the Philippines, according to Isagani Cruz on his Absolute Theory, it states that
The Absolute Theory is really simple and strict. Plagiarism, as defined by Plagiarism.org, is “the use of
another’s original words or ideas as though they were your own.” In this theory, plagiarism is a lie, a
crime, a sin, because it is a form of stealing. One should not steal someone else’s words and ideas,
because words and ideas are intellectual property, owned by whoever first said or wrote them down.
In the Absolute Theory, you are not allowed to copy the idea, even if the words are all different, of an
author (whether alive or dead) without naming the author. (Copyright violation is less strict, because it
involves only authors still alive or who died less than 70 years ago.) To avoid the charge of plagiarism,
all you have to do is to attribute, footnote, end note, cite, link, or otherwise make it clear that what you
Meanwhile, In Davao City, particularly in St. John Paul II College of Davao, some students
states that plagiarism is a big problem specially in school, because students are more likely to be under
pressure regardless with their paperwork's and school obligations. According to a student in ABM
Department, Plagiarizing is a choice, students should be aware of their behavior and must be well