Hi everybody,
I PMed my essays to a couple people (3 people), giving them access to my google folder. I happened to be working on one of my essays when I saw that someone selected the entire essay and copied it and left the doc. I’m really scared that this person has copied my essay. Is there anything I can do?
Should have sent it to a trusted adult, not just some random people on the internet. Sorry to say but its better to be safe than sorry.
You can start over with a new essay…might be painful, but will probably give you the most peace of mind.
I would start over unless the essay is so personal to yourself that plagiarism isn’t possible.
For what it’s worth, when I read an essay I sometimes do that. I can increase the font size and make it easier to read.
That said, I’m a 58 year old math teacher, not an 18 year old college applicant. But I think I’m unusual in that habit. I do it when someone has PM’d me a document… not a folder full of documents. I’m not sure that giving anyone access to your google folder was a wise idea.
I think I would assume the essay had been taken and rewrite, just to be certain.
If you ended up writing a new essay, I’d go ahead and post your old essay somewhere public online. That way the person who plagiarized has a chance of getting caught because I think colleges use programs that scan for plagiarism from both online and in actual books.
It sounds like you know the people you sent it to and know specifically the one who copied it. Ask them.
As @bkjmom mentions, it’s possible they cut and paste to make it easier to read or to be read off-line. Another possibility is that they may have downloaded it to use as an example of a strong essay, wishing to emulate (not copy) its structure the way one might do the same with an essay from a published book of essays. I agree with @takeitallin. Before going to the hassle of rewriting your essay ask the people you sent it to. I think the likelihood of it being stolen is small to begin with and just the act of asking why someone downloaded it would make it even less likely.
@Burrito12 Oh boy! I feel for you. As horrible and excruciating as it may be, I think I would write another essay. I would not want to jeopardize anything. I just would not be able to feel 100% comfortable knowing that it was copied from my folder. As those have suggested, do not give others access in the future.
It’s probably okay. It’s your essay, so I wouldn’t worry about using it. Likely the other dude will figure out that the essay is not personal enough for them.
With google docs you can see who made edits so you know who it was. Once they have access, that’s a risk you take.
For OP and all other students reading this, not only should you only PM long time posters (adults), don’t share a folder.
OP- in the future, there’s a way to disable copy/pasting while still allowing people to comment. Though I’d agree with other posters and advise you to be careful about sharing your essays in the future.