Plagiarism is defined as the stealing and passing off the ideas or words of another as one's own. It also refers to using another's production without crediting the source (American Psychological Association, 2002). This is viewed as a grave offense in academic and literary circles because it shows a lack of original thought, disrespect for the field in question and the people in it. Therefore, if unchallenged, plagiarism may lead to the decline in quality of advances made in a field of study or literature. This paper aims to present a case of plagiarism and succinctly reflect on the danger it poses to the field of psychology which is my area of interest.
Original work
“Learning technologies have opened the doors to a wide variety of options for distance
Education delivery, and each learning model has benefits and limitations (Picciano, 2001). The Internet and learning technologies provide the means for transmitting content, managing courses, and promoting the interaction of the instructor and learners. When selecting technology for a distance-learning program, the system that provides the best learning approach should be utilized. Around the world, students can join the same class, share information, and learn together. The field of distance education and the various learning systems are continually being revised and improved . Ideally, the most effective distance learning system is one that provides students with the resources to be a successful distance learner.” (Ford, 2013 ).
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Paraphrased Work
The distance education sector and its associated learning systems are undergoing continual revision and upgrading. Innovative learning technologies, as well as the Internet, are driving the change in distance learning. They are also revolutionizing course management, content transmission, and promoting student - instructor interaction. As a result, learners from different corners of the globe can share the same classes, exchange information, and learn together. Learning technologies have opened the doors to a wide variety of options for distance education delivery. However, each learning model has both benefits as well as limitations (Picciano, 2001). Selection of technologies for use in distance learning should be geared towards finding the system that provides the best approach to learning. This should be aimed at providing the learner with enough resources to learn effectively, the distance between the learner and instructor notwithstanding.
Reflection
The field of Psychology has undergone significant advancement from its roots in the ancient civilizations of Greece, China and the fertile crescent of the Middle East. The advancements have been credited to the ability to systematically follow and build upon the ideas presented through successive generations to its current practice. Thus, by failing to attribute the ideas to the legitimate sources, professionals who have devoted their lives to the development and advancement of psychology would be robbed of their lives work and the credit due to them.
Apart from the injury done to the scientists and academics who have helped develop psychology, the field itself would suffer where ideas are either stolen or not attributed to the right source. Over the years, Psychology has changed as new ideas and theories supplanted the older models. The misattribution of ideas and bodies of work would hinder the advancement of psychology. This is because it would be difficult to trace the evolution of an idea and deny other qualified peers the chance to review such work or bodies of work. Where a body of work cannot be judged for merit, the risk is high of either losing out on significant advancement in psychology or even worse, the entry of untested theories and practices which could taint the profession.
Psychology is both an academic discipline and as social science (Feldman, 2011). It is meant for the benefit of society and is oriented towards solving the existing problems. Where a field is so crucial to the well-being of society, it thus follows that its practitioners must be of excellent repute due to the role they play in society. Any practitioner willing to steal someone else’s work would reflect poorly of the field. Also, he or she would also pose a risk to society as their willingness violate social norms would pose a significant risk to their clients.
The various examples of plagiarism and obfuscation highlighted by Silverman (2012) resulted in gross disinformation of the masses and compromised the integrity of the journalistic profession. In this regard, the author argues, “Here’s the issue: If we in the press stonewall and hide behind vague public statements when ethical breaches happen within our ranks, then we embolden politicians and other public figures and sources to do the same” (Silverman, 2012). In this case, the lack of integrity from the various journalists would set a dangerous precedent for the rest of society.
The lack of integrity that plagiarism exemplifies not only serves to “inspire” people to fiddle with the truth but in the particular case of Psychology goes against the five principles contained in the preamble to the American Psychology Association’s code of conduct. Specifically, Principle C states in part that “Psychologists seek to promote accuracy, honesty, and truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of psychology. In these activities, psychologists do not steal, cheat or engage in fraud, subterfuge or intentional misrepresentation of fact” (American Psychological Association, 2002). In conclusion, it is thus clear that plagiarism as a whole and more so in the field of Psychology is an ill that the society cannot afford.
References
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist , 57 (12), 1060-1073.
Feldman, R. S. (2011). Essentials of understanding psychology . Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Ford, J. (2013). Internet and Distance Education Delivery Models. Retrieved from https://awc.ashford.edu/research-papers-sample.html
Picciano, A. G. (2001). Distance learning: Making connections across virtual space and time . Merrill Prentice Hall.
Silverman, C. (2012, Sep 10). Journalism’s Summer of Sin marked by plagiarism, fabrication, obfuscation. Poynter.org. Retrieved from https://www.poynter.org/2012/journalisms-summer-of-sin-calls-for-leadership-transparency/187335/
