Plagiarism. Educational, social and cultural contexts

The paper is devoted to analysing various aspects of contemporary plagiarism at the higher educational level. In the first part the short history of plagiarism is included as well as classifications of this term. Next, the different ways and forms of plagiarism are considered against the background of motives of the people which are involved in this kind of dishonesty. In the last part of paper the plagiarism is analysed as a part of contemporary culture with its obsession of educational success and instant gratification.