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The Importance of Citing Sources

 In "Plagiarism is not a Big Moral Deal", Stanley Fish asserts that the rules for citing sources are old fashioned and burdensome for students, especially if they will not be going into a career where they will be using them. He feels that professionals, such as scientists, journalists, philosophers, and historians need to know how to cite sources, but not necessarily other jobs, including more creative types as well as politicians (Fish). 


While Fish is accurate that the rules about citing sources and avoiding plagiarism can be overwhelming to learn at first, it can be learned and it gets easier with practice. Citing sources correctly is one of the most important aspects of writing an academic paper. It is the only way that information can be validated for one thing. When you think about all the time, effort, and sometimes money that went into preparing a source, citing that source properly is not only necessary to give the credit, it is the right thing to do. If someone didn't come up with the idea, and doesn't give credit to the person or people who did, they are essentially stealing from them and lying to their audience. Another reason for citing sources is to give the audience a reason to trust the author. Should they be interested, the reader can check the source to make sure the facts are correct or look up additional information if they are intrigued by the subject matter. 


While citing information and avoiding plagiarism may seem like it is limited to only academia and certain professions, it is essential for all citizens to know. In the digital age we live in, most professions and even individuals have a platform where they are able to "speak" to the masses. Many people will blindly believe whatever they read. It is easy to get information from a source and possibly twist it or change it to say something different, or just make something up. The general public should be more aware that sources should be cited, even if they don't do any writing themselves. Audiences need to know that what they are reading is reliable and have the opportunity to check the facts from the original source. This would help to eliminate fake viral news from spreading and help citizens be more aware and educated. 

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