I am sitting with a story to edit. It sits in front of my eyes as a bloody tableau of red corrections.
I can handle that. I can handle making changes, and helping someone form their story. It’s part of my job.
But how do I engage with their plagiarism?
Not even “smart” plagiarism — I know that I shouldn’t make distinctions here, but “stupid” plagiarism just seems so much worse than “smart” plagiarism — WIKIPEDIA plagiarism. Did you really think that you’d get away with it?
How stupid do you think *I* am? How stupid do you think your reader is? Why are you wasting my time — when I am trying to help you — with writing that is not yours??
These are all questions I should ask you, but just worry that you’ll plagiarise your response.
It is theft! How can you not realise that stealing someone else’s words and passing them off as your own is THEFT? You are an academic. Your job is to disseminate knowledge. You know how important words and thoughts are. How can you take other people’s, and think that it is okay?
In my mind, I’m going through the possible punishments to fit the crime. I could dismiss your piece outright, and say that I don’t let thieves write for me. I could sneak into your house in the dead of night, and leave paper cuts all over your bleeding and stinging body, or I could tell you off for being a thief and tell you never to do it again. The last option is probably what I will do, and I wonder if you know that I will never accept writing from you again because in my mind you are a thief.
* Note: Many years ago, I tutored first-year English literature students. Someone once referenced plagiarism.com, but no one thought to plagiarise Wikipedia. Perhaps they were more scared of me in person.
Angry science girl 