How does it feel?

Dear Online Writing Community,

I generally do my best to not complain. However, when I see the same issue arise with great frequency, I have to ask why. Thus, I have a question for the online writing community.

How does it feel to rip off someone else’s work?

And yes, I am directing this primarily at the online writing community. I am directing this open letter to the online writing community for two reasons.

One, this seems to be more prevalent in online writing than in print media. The reasoning for this should be self-evident. Publishers have teams of editors, and other staff to check for plagiarism or at least lack of citation. There are multiple reasons why they do this.

First, is that plagiarism discredits the author, and by extension, the publisher. And in doing this, hurts the publisher’s brand. Second, there can be legal ramifications. While not illegal in most of the world, plagiarism can lead to a lawsuit if the original creator feels the pieces violates their intellectual property.

It is my personal belief that this is why some in the online writing community have chosen to publish online only. Over the last few months, I have noticed what seems to be a steady increase in either outright plagiarism, or what I call plagiarism by proxy.

What is plagiarism by proxy?

Perhaps there is a more academic or technical term for this. But what I consider plagiarism by proxy is when one takes the work of another and changes it just enough to be “original.” I’m sure a lot of people are guilty of this at some point in their life. We see this most often in adolescence, as school children are often unaware of what is wrong with what they are doing. However, once you are old enough to know better, and especially if you’re doing this for financial gain, it is unacceptable.

Now, I am not talking about paraphrasing or quoting, as both of those are typically cited. What I am talking about is the tendency for some online writers to see an article, take that author’s work, and either paraphrase or summarize their writing without crediting the original creator.

Perhaps, to some, this isn’t outright plagiarism. However, when done this way, paraphrasing without citation is plagiarism. And the same goes for summarizing without citation. This is something I don’t think I will ever understand. And that is the crux of my question.

How does it feel? How does it feel to profit off of someone else’s work?

I really want to know. I realize not everyone has had the same experiences. And yet, most of us were taught at some point in our life that it is wrong to steal. And that is what one is doing when one plagiarizes someone’s work.

So, why do you do it? Is it for the money? Is it a lack of creativity?

I am curious because there are so many interesting things to write about. Why lower yourself to ripping off someone else’s work? I realize that not everyone enjoys in-depth research. That’s fine because there are so many other things that don't require a lot of research. Some of my favorite articles out there are on entertainment. These articles don’t require a lot of research beyond watching or listening to something you already enjoy. And the ability to pull out interesting nuggets that will satiate fans' need to geek out.

So, what now? What do we do in the writing community when we see this?

Some of us will report these articles. But not all online publishers will act on those reports. And sometimes online publishers seem more than willing to look past fully or partially plagiarized articles. So, for their sake, I hope that they see it is in their best interest to more thoroughly vet what their writers are trying to publish.

On a personal note, I do my best to cite sources whenever I publish a non-fiction article. I do this because I rely on my credibility to remain intact. This is important for writers that want to establish a career in writing.

So, in closing, if you are one of those writers out there that have made this a habit, please stop. Unless, of course, you are fine with making a quick buck. As a fellow writer, what do you do when you come across one of these articles? Use whatever reporting system is available. And if that doesn’t work, try contacting the original author or publisher. Well, that’s what I hope someone would do if they found my work uncredited somewhere.

Thank you for listening to me ramble,

A.H.

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