Plagarisum and principles

Post Reply New Topic

I have a really big problem. I have Aspergers, Bipolar and PTSD. One year ago I was diagnosed with none of them. There is no question that i've had the first two all of my life and PTSD probably for half of it. I entered university for the first time two years ago but could not cope with the isolation and high expectations on it made me attempt suicide as well as violently self harm once I was home in the summer. I left after being unable to return with the toxic history behind me despite the support structures in place. I was too far from home. I wrote a blog which is self theraputic and puts the most traumatic experiences to the past. I shared this with my family so they could understand something i felt needed to be understood so not only I could change but the people around me. I then recovered enough to attempt to re do university at home and make a life for myself. Before I had even started a family friend, whom I trusted, was inspired by my blog and asked to use some of it. I gave her no permission to do it given her personal and sensitive it was. I wanted to give advice not let them copy it. It was her last assignment and the end or her course too. I said it would be dangerous to do such a thing because we were on the same course (I was starting it soon). She then ignored my messages and then the silence made me suspect she had done something very very wrong. I finally got it off her because i was concerned. I saw it and found she had plagarised my most personal details. she'd coped the events of my suicide attempt and self harming. I was then re-traumatised and obvious anger insued. I have black and white thinking, want to punish her but end up ruining someones life for a small mistake. I keep saying to everyone - plagarisim is theft and it doesnt matter on the scale or when it happens. Its the same. It makes it worse of course that she plagarised my work for 50% of hers. Is this the first time that i can act on an injustice for and have it rectified and to stop my mental health being ruined further from someone who should have compassion? In the end when i use what she has used I have the evidence to prove it was my work. She will end up loosing if she doesnt act herself of course. What should I do?

I agree. Plagiarism is theft. If it is not your own idea, you have to credit the source.

This also keeps alive intellectual evolution: one person picks up on somebody else's idea, and perhaps adds a new wrinkle to it. The more people are credited with aspects of an idea, the more credible the idea seems to be, since it is evident there is a consensus.

What I've found, from doing my research on plagarism is that universities rely too much on money. In the uk there is the worry that those who do finish their degrees arent getting good enough jobs which would then enable them to starting paying back the loans. Because of funding pressures too, those that do plagarise get penalised but only have 0 marks for the piece instead of a zero tolerance policy. In an ideal world, where universities are not reliant upon stretched budgets and money from all sources they balance academic and intellectual intergrity against maintaining a business. In much the same way footballers get penalised in the short term and end up raking it in fpr their club (university after a ban (say....suarez). My problem is also the moral ambiguity of this approach. People defend it their bad behaviour because of their seemingly small effect. It was one assignment and amounted to 5% of my final year. That doens't cut it in the long run to go into professional environments if you cant give an extra 5% to the job.

dear jaspiejaffa...i failed a year because 3 other colleagues paid xyz person to write a final paper for 1 subject...I didnt pay...they did...I struggled with the same question as you did-what to do...tell authorities on college or not...finally I did...they let them pass a year and since I refused to sign myself on paper which was bought-so called 'ghostwriter plagiat-I failed my final year...di I regret it-no .I also see everything black and white...I didnt want them to suffer consequences or to be hurt but deep down inside I knew what to do-tell the truth...so I know how you must feel at this moment...do the right thing, not the right thing for her or yourself, but what the right thing is...wish you all the best and stay strong!