My belief is that one is rarely sure whether the question of plagiarism is a simple professional mistake (not responding to a given code of conduct not always explicitely stated) or whether it is a moral and even an ethical misconduct.
If its done intentionally, it is both unprofessional and immoral. If it is done unintentionally, it is still unprofessional and perhaps a sign of laziness.
Sadly, teachers and lecturers do not always include their references at the foot of every Powerpoint slide, setting a bad example to their students. A bad example is misconduct and amoral.
Thank you Ian, but where do you put the dividing line between morality and professionalism/ethics? Does morality alone come in here? Are your statements not judgemental, away from the concerns of a profession (professional ethics or deontology) and too close to moral dos and donts? Thanks again. Mohamed
If its done intentionally, it is both unprofessional and immoral. If it is done unintentionally, it is still unprofessional and perhaps a sign of laziness.
If its done intentionally, plagiarism is exactly like stealing. [Tell me how plagiarism is not stealing?]
And, tell me in which culture stealing is not immoral? [Of course it's immoral, by all means. Being judgmental or not is besides the point. Every healthy culture would deem stealing, killing, incest, etc. immortal. This is a matter of fact.]
To Yunsong, Do not get me wrong. To plagiarize is definitely an act like stealing. That is present in all societies. However, how much weight is there for ethical codes and professionalism? A word that is totally absent in your reflection. My worry is that we lean too much towards morality and very little towards the professional ethos of our profession.
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