Is there some sort of Law about this?

Ethics, as far as writing go, were for many years defined solely by the conscience of the author. In modern times, ethics, along with many other traditional values, have been thrown out the window with a forceful "forget you!" as a salutation. Thus, many codes, statutes, and standards have been set in place with dire consequences to those who transgress. In a valiant effort to fight plagiarism, and in an effort to kick lazy students out of school and the professional world; we have become intimately acquainted with MLA format. But really, that's not what writing is about. Writing is for the reader, for the active seeker of knowledge. To write is to create, and the ethics surrounding that should be of the authors own dictation, not forced upon by some code. But, with a world of liars and cheaters, everyone suffers for the transgression of the one.

A famous incidence of plagiarism occurred with the no less famous for it author Doris Kearns Goodwin in her award winning novel "No Ordinary Time" on the life of the Roosevelts. Caught having copied several chapters of her manuscript from another less known author, Goodwin was publicly disgraced for plagiarism, prompting many news articles to label her work "No Ordinary Crime". However, Goodwin did not cease her writing career, or suffer any setback in profit. The sales for the book soared in the period surrounding the controversy, and Goodwin went on to write an award winning novel on Lincoln, called "Team of Rivals". For a student, this displays a very disheartening message. Why should Goodwin be allowed to prosper from Plagiarism when many students have lost whole careers for one thoughtless act of desperation? Ethics were blurred on this line.

Goodwin was wrong, and should have been ashamed of herself. The fact of the matter remains that historical writing is for the enlightenment of the reader, and a historian especially who feels the need to take the easy way out deserves no place in the academic professional world. Nevertheless, ethics vary based upon who one is, and always have. Ethically speaking, any form of writing that copies something without citation is plagiarism, but cliches, commonalities, and other such things are used all the time in every form of writing.

What must be said, then, is that the only way to truly write something ethically is to use only yourself as a source, and write something from the heart. Explore your inner artist, even with a boring school assignment, and write something that is truly new. I have found that not only is this far more enjoyable to write, it is also extremely interesting to read. Its like following a treasure map; you don't know where you will end up, but the journey is enjoyable as you follow the anticipation of treasure all the way through. That is ethical writing.