Plagiarism, the act of using another's words or ideas without giving due credit, is a well-known cultural taboo. However, given the ease with which it can be accomplished in our electronic world, it is more widespread than ever. In response to the deluge of plagiarism in universities, professors have broadened the definition and made it more restrictive. Not only do they consider using another's work to be plagiarism, but many consider reusing one's own work, or "self-plagiarism," a serious crime. An essay written for one course cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of a different course, even if written by the same person. While self-plagiarism is not an accepted practice in the writing world, it is unfair to impose this standard on college campuses. Self-plagiarism is not considered theft and can even help students improve their writing skills. Self-plagiarism, in moderate amounts, should be allowed in universities for two reasons. First, there is no legal basis why it should be banned. According to Stuart Green, professor of law at the State University of New Jersey School of Law, plagiarism is a relatively recent concept that began in the eighteenth century: it was not until the Romantic era of the eighteenth century, when the notion of “authorship” and “originality” has emerged as significant cultural values ​​– the norm of attribution and the taboo of plagiarism have come to the fore. When art and literature were seen as the expression of the unique and autonomous personality of the artist or writer, the attribution of literary sources became an increasingly important concern…it was only when words and ideas could be seen as “ownership” – typically, through publication: that “originality” became a significant cultural value and pla...... middle of paper ......iarizing-Yourself/124781>Mawdsley, Ralph D. "The Tangled Web of Plagiarism Litigation: Sorting Out" the legal questions". Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 2 (2009). Premier of academic research. Network. January 19, 2014.Samuelson, Pamela. “Self-plagiarism or Fair Use?” Communications of the ACM, vol. 37 (August 1994). Network. January 17, 2014.Twain, Mark. "Letter to Helen Keller." np March 17, 1903. Rpt. Letters of Mark Twain, vol. 1 (731). Ed. Alberto Dolore. np 1917. Network. 17 January 2014. “Vince Lombardi”. BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2014. January 20, 2014.Dawson, Jeanne. “Plagiarism: What's Really Going On?” In pursuit of educational excellence. Curtin University, 21 May. 2004. Network. 20 January. 2014.