End Note

All writers start with some text that precedes them.  Maybe grade school textbooks and the wonderful teachers that wielded them caused thoughts to form.  Students may start by writing these thoughts on paper, on a tablet, a computer-based word processor, or maybe even a cell phone.  As thoughts form, and meaningful concepts expressed by others are encountered, texts created by writers may be edited to form more thoughtful, concise word strings that summarize these new "profound" thoughts; at some point, these students transition to become writers.  It is important to acknowledge that every single sentence created by a writer is impacted by a vast array of thought sentences that preceded them.

I am a great supporter of Wikipedia; I have for years provided annual financial support to this enterprise, and I use the contents of Wikipedia extensively to shape/expand/mould my own thoughts.  There are times when I extract strings of words from Wikipedia that I find informative.  I often read multiple Wikipedia sources, will extract unique word strings and blend these with word strings from other sources, shaping them into a new thought - my own new words, cultured/moulded/shaped by the thoughts of others.  Is this plagiarism?  I don't think so because most of the words in Wikipedia were abstracted from other sources created by other authors, not by the authors who placed the words into Wikipedia.  So, maybe the words in Wikipedia are already plagiarized?  Did early authors who read Aristotle or Plato and learned from them plagiarize them?  Back to my first sentence... All writers start with some text that preceded them, shaped their thoughts, triggering new thoughts  and concepts.  All writers learn from other writers.  Is that plagiarism?  If so, I am guilty...but so is every other author that preceded me.  In my case, when I have extracted word strings or thoughts from sources such as Wikipedia, I have cited those sources.  You can be the judge; did I steal their ideas, or improved their ideas.