Now question is, why people don't bother with that? It is probably due few different reasons:
- Some want to appear more knowledgeable than they really are, and when you put something in quotation marks, it is obvious that it's not your original thought.
- Ignorance. I am pretty sure that quite a few of those doing that don't even know about proper way to deal with direct copying from external source.
- Poor/mediocre English level. Sentences look much better when copied directly and then just link shared at the bottom of the post instead of trying to write something of your own.
- Merit farming. This tactic can be very successful as people don't really care about these things when they share the merit.
- Last but not the least, filling up signature quota. What's easier than copying something without adding personal comment?
I made a thread last year titled
Plagiarism as a result of cultural differences.The thread is based on an article that talks about the different stances that different cultures have on plagiarism issues. In the US, plagiarism is a big no-go in academic circles. In other parts of the world, those less educated have different views on the matter and might not understand why it is an issue at all.