It’s Sloppy, It’s Plagiarism!

As the controversy set around the Da Vinci Code began to fade away, it was the Harvard sophomore, Ms. Viswanathan who got caught in the mire. Whither goest these plagiarism issues? Is it only that novelists and fiction writers who become the center of the discussion? What is that thin line that differentiates the original thought of one person and the influence it has on someone who picks the thread and weaves it into his/her fantasy? Dan Brown was discussed on a much broader aspect but then Kaavya and her books going off the shelf and the cancellation of the deal, all this is being debated thereby raising vehement criticisms on plagiarism. Plagiarism is considered as an offence more on the academic lines and it involves the passing off of another’s work as one’s own. This is more common wherein authors tend to write in similar lines to an already existing book or novel or when students copy relevant academic materials and present as their original write-ups. Plagiarism by students