Righteousness in Writing

Before learning about the ethics of writing, I had a giant misconception about writing; I seemed to think that because plagiarism is so frowned upon that this meant that using the ideas of others in our writing was also a bad thing. This left me in a place where I was forced to do my own experiments and research, or otherwise make up a lot of research.

However, I realized this was wrong. We, as creative and persuasive writers, must use the research and analysis of others in order to write with any power. We are able to stand upon the shoulders of those that came before us to create new things that are hopefully better than anything before it.

In conjunction with this idea, there is an obvious side-effect for all those who stand upon the shoulders of the great ones before us. There must be some gratitude shown, if nothing else, to these men and women who have built the foundations upon which we build. That is why I feel citing your work very explicitly is so important. There is no writer worthy of note that does not have a profound sense of gratitude for those writers who have inspired and inform him or her about the topics they know and enjoy.

Citing works you have used in your writing is honest, ethical, and just the right thing to do. No one is going to look at you as a fool if you have many sources from which you've pulled your ideas, as if you were to dumb to figure things out on your on. In fact, it is quite the opposite; people will only see your work as a more validated masterpiece, one in which you worked hard upon and are well-informed enough to write about.

If anything, having ethics and avoiding plagiarism only helps you. It is honest, validates your work, and makes you feel good about yourself. It also shows your appreciation for the work that has come before you, giving proper credit where it is due.

If you haven't started yet, I implore you to begin giving full credit to those who you base your work upon. It fills you with warm fuzzies. It is simply the righteous thing to do.