In the United States, plagiarism is similar to a theft and has potentially severe consequences, such as suspension or even expulsion from schools. Al Jimiad suggests that America's individualistic culture leads to differences in plagiarism ideas. The U.S. culture views a work as an individual's property and thus requires citation to show where the idea came from.
Other cultures around the world have different views on plagiarism. Washington State University's website points out that some Asian or Middle Eastern cultures paraphrase or quote texts without citation because the professors are expected to know the text. The website continues to explain that the cultures view citations as an insult or rude to the professor because it suggests that the teacher does not know the current texts in circulation.
Plagiarism laws are related to specific works and not common-knowledge information. The problem students in colleges might face when they are starting out is what is considered common knowledge and what is something that must be cited during a written paper. Typically, citing any source is an ideal method of dealing with the potential problems of common-knowledge confusion.
Dealing with plagiarism is a necessity because students need to understand the system and culture where they attend school. The students are responsible to find out as much as possible, but teachers also need to work with students, especially those who are from other countries and might not follow the same guidelines for plagiarism as the United States. By explaining the differences in culture, the students are able to enjoy a higher success rate while avoiding accidental plagiarism.