Question: Do you agree with McDowell that "most students who plagiarize don't know they're doing it," or do you think Mills and Lambert are correct in their belief that students lack the "values" and "ethics" necessary to avoid cheating? Explain.
I think plagiarism seems to have a subjective definition when it actually doesn't. Plagiarism isn't quite a black and white concept because of this. There are some things, such as downloading an entire paper, that are quite obviously plagiarism. Copying and pasting snippets from different places is also plagiarism, although a majority of students see it as being "not as bad" as copying an entire work. Which is true, but still unethical. According to McDowell, "It's less a conscious effort on their part to plagiarize than it is their understanding that this information is all the world's to use." Sometimes the way a source states a sentence is just too perfect to be paraphrased. The words used convey the information so well that changing them seems silly and counter-productive. However, it's easy to keep that sentence, without plagiarizing, by simply adding quotes and citing the source. Ultimately, there is no reason to plagiarize, besides unwillingness to do the work. And in that case, why are you paying for school if you don't want to do the work?
I agree with your statement on how broad of a definition plagiarism can be defined. and you also made a great point, plagiarizing something is simply lazy and shows a lack of effort more than anything else. It's almost robbing yourself of a learning opportunity
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