Dictionary. Com defines plagiarism as, 1. A piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work. 2. The act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own. Plagiarism is but not limited to, "the improper use, or failure to attribute, another person's writing or ideas (intellectual property). It can be as subtle as the inadvertent neglect to include quotes or references when citing another source or as blatantly unethical as knowingly copying an entire paper verbatim and claiming it as your own work." (plagiarism.org)
             Plagiarism can occur in many different ways. One does not have to have malicious intent when plagiarism occurs, it can happen by careless mistakes. Students who cut and paste information via the Internet without giving proper citation are guilty of plagiarism. Whether the infraction is blatant or accidental anytime you use other persons, work (An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, or literary or musical composition; a work of art.) (dictionary.com) You are infringing on the United States Copyright law and are therefore subject to punishment. The United States Copyright laws, which states:
             "The moment an original work is fixed in a tangible medium, it is copyrighted. Therefore poems, Web pages, paintings, photographs, novels, songs, videos, computer software, or architectural drawings are copyrighted the moment the "author" has expressed herself or himself in an original work. Using this logic, it is true that the following expressions are also copyrighted: texts of advertisements, choreographed dances, maps, statues, and stuffed animals." (Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA)
             Penalties for these infractions include but are not limited to imprisonment, fines or in the case of school failure or expulsion. In order to avoid the possible penalties that arise from plagiarism certain guidelines must be fol
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