Psychology

R. Vij, N. Soni and G. Makhdumis article entitled Encouraging Academic Honesty through Anti-Plagiarism Software (2009) is a short presentation on the nature and characteristics of Plagiarism vis--vis the need to uphold Academic Honesty. In the article, the authors dedicate short discussions of the different aspects of Plagiarism which include but are not limited to (1) the definition of Plagiarism, (2) its different types or expressions, (3) the motives behind the deliberate or indirect commission of Plagiarism, as well as (4) the notable incidences of Plagiarism in the academe business the world over (Vij, et. al. 2009, pp. 429-441).

The second part of the short article delves on some recommendatory guidelines which, if observed diligently, can help students avoid Plagiarism, whether in part or in whole, as indeed whether deliberately or unwittingly. Plagiarism, according to the authors, is a serious breach of research ethics that...is considered research misconduct (Vij, et. al., 2009, p. 442). Thus, in order to avoid Plagiarism, the authors suggest a host of guidelines to follow. Among others, emphasis on originality in the contents of writing, as well as taking close heed of the intricacies of proper referencing are critical in the avoidance of Plagiarism. The use of anti-Plagiarism tools is also suggested by the authors, though not without cautionary reminders on the limits and inaccuracies involved in the use of such online technologies (Vij, et. al., 2009, pp. 444-445).

Taking cue from the article of Vij, Soni and Makhdumi (2009), I believe that I can avoid Plagiarism in the conduct of research by keeping in mind the two most important facets of academic honesty originality and proper referencing. First, I must endeavor to make an original work, even if this implies greater effort to think and analyze on my part. Second, I must also keep myself cognizant of the different ways to give credit to the ideas or expressions which are not mine, using the available methods of referencing styles. This way, I can avoid taking credit for something that I did not originally come up, and thus avoid Plagiarism all together.