31 July 2021, Somewhere in the Metaverse - UplandDood (@Just1Dood) 

Start on the right footing (or rather heading)

This is purely my point of view. No research was done for this article so it all comes from my puny little brain.

I'll jump right into it. Yup, testing the depth of the river with both feet.

We'll start with the Title. The Title or my heading is my way of saying, in order to avoid being accused of this animal called plagiarism, ensure that the readers know it's my point of view. So, unless my brain is wired to the internet, I should be safe from this accusation. That's assuming that I really do not have my brain wired to the internet. Scout's honor. See those three fingers?

[Point #1: Do not have your brain wired to the internet. You may get a computer virus and be accused of plagiarism.]

Define this animal

If you don't know what kind of animal it is, how are you gonna dissect it?

When I consulted Professor Google, this is what I understand what plagiarism is:

Now, the part where it says taking credit for using someone's work is understandable. But ideas? If we accept this definition word for word and treat it as if it's two of the lost commandments given to Moses, then we have a serious problem. Haven't you heard there is nothing new under the sun? There really are no new ideas. All ideas can be traced back to someone else's idea (my point of view. No reference). Prove me wrong and I'll remove this point.

However, if my point holds true, then everyone is a plagiarist! No exception. Just a matter of degree. Then, the measuring stick would be on the degree of plagiarism. How to measure that? I'd wager to think that a monkey given a typewriter to type long enough would one day be plagiarizing.

[Point #2: Do not let your monkey type for too long. It may plagiarize.]

The Million Dollar Question

I have never used any online plagiarism checker prior to doing this article. I have no idea how accurate they are. If Grammarly (spell and grammar checker) is anything to go by, I'd say that they are a good start to get an idea but I wouldn't trust it blindly.

For the sake of this article, I had the top of this article until the end of the above paragraph checked in an online plagiarism checker. I was informed that up to that point, I had 14% plagiarized texts.

At which point will I be guilty of plagiarizing? I mean, any idiot with half a brain can tell you that at 100% tested over a few different plagiarism checkers would be a strong indication of someone plagiarizing. But that's the extreme case of a cut-and-copy article. At what point is it safe for someone to say, "Aha, I caught you. You, you, shameless plagiarizer you!" I don't know. I don't have the answer.

[Point #3: Million-dollar questions have no answers.]

Hitting the Jackpot

"Never the twain shall meet" [incidentally, this being a common phrase it will be added to the plagiarism count]. I don't think it is possible for my article and plagiarism to be mutually exclusive. That is a wishful thought. Sooner or later the I'll hit a percentage high enough to be an issue or someone makes enough fuss for it to be an issue. Sometimes it's a world where whoever makes the loudest noise wins. Not fair but that's just life. I'll let this person shout until he/she is tired.

[Point #4: If you want to find a needle in the haystack, you can.]

Do not Infract

This will be the last I will ever write about plagiarism. I learned in school a long, long time ago that it's not acceptable and I don't do it. If anyone chose to go down this slippery slope, then I wish him or her good luck. One day it will catch up with you and you'll have to back pay for all infractions. Not worth the headache to take such risks.

This is a difficult subject to write about without doing some research, especially if the article is not about personal experience. However, it is my personal opinion.

I'm sorry to disappoint some of you - I won't be using plagiarism checkers. Sounding as ridiculous as it is, it's the same reason I won't be scanning all my currency notes to ensure that they are not counterfeit. I don't deal with shady people so getting one is really a needle in the haystack. And I won't let anyone bully me into scanning my notes and wearing t-shirts that say, "I have scanned my notes. They are genuine!"

[Point #5: If you are so afraid of counterfeit notes, give them to me.]

Okay, I've taken enough of your time. Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Stay safe and see you in the next article.

Sources:

Header: Unsplash.com - Sander Dalhuisen

Image 1: Screenshot from Google Search 

Image 2: Unsplash.com - Jamie Haughton

Image 3: Unsplash.com - Victor Serban

Thank you again for dropping by. Have fun with English. Remember to share your experience in the comment section.

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