910 — Plagiarizing a Paper

Stealing is stealing, even if they’re just words. Learn about plagiarism in this episode.
Slow dialog: 1:05
Explanations: 3:19
Fast dialog: 17:29
Paul: All done.
Samantha: You’re done with your paper? How can that be? I’m just getting started.
Paul: I’m just a better student than you are.
Samantha: Let me see that. You didn’t write this.
Paul: No, I didn’t. I downloaded somebody’s paper from some website and slapped my name on it. The professor will never know. Wise up. Do you want me to find one for you?
Samantha: No way! Not only is it cheating, if you get caught, you could flunk the class or get expelled.
Paul: Don’t be such a goody two-shoes. Everybody does it. I know a guy who pays somebody in another state to write all of his papers for him and another guy who lifts his papers from old books. Don’t tell me you’ve never paraphrased ideas from a source and represented them as your own.
Samantha: Are you kidding me? Borrowing ideas from a book with proper attribution is what you’re supposed to do. You, on the other hand, are plagiarizing your way to your degree.
Paul: Damn straight! Look who’s done with his homework and who is still working on hers.
Samantha: I’d rather earn what I get and know that I didn’t shortchange myself out of an education!

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse