As high school and college students, and even in the professional world, we are asked to research and write about topics we believe are important. The research we are being asked to do has been done many times in the past, which means that people are forced to use the ideas and words of others without acknowledgment, sometimes without even knowing it. This leads to plagiarism, which is something many people have heard of, but never learned the true definition and the damage it can create. Schools and society need to be more proactive in explaining what plagiarism is, how to write correctly to prevent it, and teaching the consequences of plagiarism. What is plagiarism? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, “plagiarize” means: “to steal and pass off (another's ideas or words) as one's own, to use (another's production) without citing the source, to commit literary theft, to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (“Plagiarism Merriam Webster,” 2014). Not many people realize this, but plagiarism is an act of fraud as you steal something and claim it as your own (“Overview-Plagiarism,” 2014). It may seem that copying written text is irrelevant to the law and not important enough to constitute a crime, but US laws recognize original ideas as intellectual property. The original ideas and words documented are protected by copyright law (plag.org). An additional source, MIT's The Writing and Humanistic Studies, states that the definition of plagiarism is: Plagiarism is the use of someone else's ideas or language without acknowledging that they were not created by you. This definition applies to unusual ideas, words, and structures regardless of where they are found… in the center of the paper… grit and plagiarism. (n.d.). English language and literature. (2014). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from https://liberal-arts.wright.edu/english-lingual-and-literatures/university-writing-program/academic-integrity-and-plagiarismAvoiding Plagiarism. (n.d.). Writing and humanistic studies. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://writing.mit.edu/wcc/avoidingplagiarismOFFICE OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS AND STUDENT CONDUCT. (n.d.). Code of Conduct. (2012). Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.wright.edu/students/judicial/integrity.htmlOverview - Plagiarism.org - Best Practices for Ensuring Originality in Written Work. (n.d.). Plagiarism.org. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/overviewPlagiarism. (n.d.). Merriam Webster. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism