Plagiarism

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), the English lexicographer and the author of the Dictionary of the English Language (1755–1756), commented on a certain piece of writing that he believed to have been plagiarized. He stated that he thought the passage was both good and original. However, he added that the part that was original was not good and the part that was good was not original. Plagiarism has long been a subject of interest in academia, the media, and the creative arts. It has been with us since our ancestors first learned to commit their thoughts to paper or parchment.

So what actually is it? Plagiarism is, according to one source, knowingly presenting the work or property of another person as if it were one's own without appropriate ...