In Ideas as Property by Thomas L. Minnick, the concept of plagiarism is discussed. Minnick begins by giving background information about property and scenarios in which the property of individuals are stolen. He connects what he has described by concluding that ideas are property and just like property, it is not right to steal someone’s belonging. He explains that it is a crucial issue in universities and they take the problem very seriously. Minnick concludes his essay by saying that students should not be afraid to complete writing assignments just because their ideas may be similar to those prior to them; their professor will know the difference between plagiarism and similarity; ask your professor if you are concerned about your work.
The stance that Minnick has in Ideas as Property is very strong. I can see that he has compassion for the right of people to claim their ideas as their own and for others to acknowledge that fact also. I can understand what he is conveying. However, I am afraid of making mistakes. There are so many people and so many ideas; it frightens me thinking that I could make a mistake when it comes to writing assignments and citing properly. His advice about asking the professor to look over your work seems justifiable and I am planning to try to use it in the future.
In Avoiding Plagiarism by Sharon Williams, advice and examples about plagiarizing are described. Williams gives several tips about how to avoid plagiarism. Then she gives examples that show plagiarizing and the correct way of citing information and sources. I found this reading to be very helpful. I am afraid of making mistakes when it comes to plagiarizing because I am not confident in my citing skills. Just as Minnick had mentioned about asking the professor and Williams had also mentioned, I am planning to ask my professors to look over my writing assignments before turning them in if I question the citing.