The End of Plagiarism

[Debbie Figus <debbief -at- NETVISION -dot- NET -dot- IL>]

I received more replies off-list than on-list, so I?m
going to save myself a little time and summarize
and respond on-list. I heard it all:

You are obligated...
I?d feel obligated...
It?s a high crime.
Watch out for those who will tell you it?s a high crime.

Some of you re-wrote the sentence. Some of you analyzed
the sentence. Some of you analyzed me. Some of you
questioned my skills and appropriateness as a technical
writer. Sheesh.

Ed posed my question exactly:
"At what point is a combination of words an original
work, protected morally or legally, from use by others
without permission?"

Ironically, there was such a range of responses, it?s
clear that there is no consensus on this issue, as it
applies to our work. What I did get was a sense that
most people try to avoid doing it, but also that plenty
of people do it and just don?t make a big deal out of it.

I am not agonizing over this. I do not need to use
others? writing because I cannot write. I was simply
bringing up for discussion a question of principles/limits.

Of the dozens of responses I received, I?d say 2 or 3
addressed the questions I asked and "discussed" them
with me. I can?t help but wonder why colleagues can?t
discuss issues relevant to their work without
personalizing the issues and insulting the one who asks.

Gotta get back to work; gotta rewrite all that
plagiarized stuff.

Debbie


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=