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Colleges and universities have policies against plagiarism, and within business and
industry, the negative impact on credibility and careers often exceeds any academic
punishment. There is no shame in quoting someone else’s work while giving credit, nor
in paraphrasing a point correctly or summarizing the research results of a study you did
not perform; but there are significant consequences to representing other’s ideas as your
own.
Aside from the fear of punishment, a skilled business writer should recognize that
intellectual theft is wrong. You may be tempted to borrow a sentence; however, know
your document will be represented in many ways across time, and more than one career
has been destroyed by plagiarism discovered years after the fact. The accomplished
business writer should take as a compliment the correct citation and reference of their
work. The novice business writer should learn by example but refrain from cut and paste
strategies to complete a document.
In a world where most modern documents are accessible in some form online, the
ability to cross-reference information with a couple of key strokes makes plagiarism a
self-defeating solution when better alternatives exist. Quote and give credit, link to
related documents with permission, paraphrase and summarize with citation, but do not
plagiarize.
Key Takeaway
There is nothing wrong with quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing with credit to
your original source, but presenting someone else’s work as if it were your own is
plagiarism.
Exercises
- Select a piece of writing such as an essay from a Web site, a book chapter, or a newspaper
or magazine article. Write a paraphrase of a portion of it. Write a brief summary of the
entire piece. Note the difference between the two techniques. Giving credit to the original
piece, discuss your paraphrase and summary with your classmates. - Find an example of an advertisement you perceive as particularly effective and write a
one-sentence summary. Share the advertisement and your one-sentence summary with
the class. - Find an example of an advertisement you perceive as particularly ineffective and write a
one-sentence summary. Share the advertisement and your one sentence review with the
class. - Find a case where plagiarism or misrepresentation had consequences in the business
world. Share your findings and discuss with classmates.