Plagiarism
When we think of plagiarism the word criminal comes into mind. Contrary, one does not often intentionally mean to take an already written and published thought. However, the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that to plagiarize is “to commit literary theft” that is, to take ones “idea[s]” that are written down and “pass” theirs off as your own work. Nevertheless, the question- what if I did think and create that idea in my own mind- always pop up. The only way to explain the frequency of students plagiarizing is to blame the schools for not enforcing and teaching the rules. Therefore, when we educate others and ourselves the rules of copying and cheating there will not be any cases of accidental plagiarism.
Society nowadays is flooded with online-websites, self help lines, and novels about the dangers of plagiarism and how to avoid it; yet students continue to steal others work for their own. With the over abundance of technological support and the vast variety of reference books and novels it is almost a temptation for students to plagiarize. All the same, students would not feel compelled to plagiarize if teachers would bring all the rules of citation into light.
If we educate students at a young age that plagiarism is not the way to go then maybe the amount of plagiarism would drop. Furthermore, if there was a mandatory class that students took in their late elementary and throughout secondary schooling plagiarism would not be a major problem like it is today. Similar to the ignorance shared in the 1960’s because of the lack of knowledge about minorities, plagiarism is an issue that most people do not feel entirely confident and comfortable with due to their shortage of education.
Jaschik addressed this problem and offered the solution of instructors being more open minded to plagiarism in his article, “Winning Hearts and Minds in War on Plagiarism”. Jaschik uses many rhetorical choices, such as illustrations, formal diction, and expert testimonies in order to argue that, “we also need to make decisions on more than just legalistic approaches”(265), while also trying to teach students more about plagiarism. Jaschik successfully persuades his intended audience of first year writing instructors of why just punishing student’s for plagiarizing is not as effective as being more open-minded and teaching students more about
Punishing students by taking them out of school will only worsen their learning ability. Raising student awareness, and teaching learning instructors on how to address the issues within their pupils will build better student-teacher relationships. A student who is more engaged in a classroom is more likely to do well and produce quality work. If we teach plagiarism as an educational opportunity, and not as an atrocity, we can improve a student’s ability to synthesize sources and integrate that knowledge in their own
There is much more to plagiarism than most people think. To the average individual, that person probably thinks plagiarism is simply copying an original work and thinking it is not a big deal. I used to think this way also, until reality gave me a good slap across the face. Truthfully, plagiarism is a huge issue and is in fact a crime punishable by several means.
When we have an idea or insight, rarely is it the first time it has ever occurred to an individual. Furthermore, what we learn through formal education, dialogue, and reading (for those who pay attention) becomes an integral part of our thought--we assimilate the ideas of others. Thus, what we may think and say is not necessarily of our own origin, but rather it is a conglomeration of the ideas of others in conjunction with our own native thoughts and understanding--such is human nature. However, there is a fundamental difference between this assimilation of idea and thought through socialization/education versus plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined, as the knowing act of stealing another's ideas and passing those ideas on as your own with the intent to deceive. It is theft of intellectual property which is owned and has value. Plagiarism is to steal and lie while assimilation is the process of educating the mind to gain knowledge from a vast variety of sources. Even though there is significant difference between the legal and moral dealings of plagiarism, there is overlap between the is and ought. Socrates and Confucius, we have read, would agree that assimilation is necessary for education and for being moral, but, as I will show, consider that plagiarism is immoral.
We need to find a way to work together and support students from all aspects. We need to value teachers and respect them. We need to stop seeing test scores as the only means to judge how well a student is doing. We need to ban the companies that provide the writers who write for a fee. Instead get back to the basics of guiding students to be the creative and capable thinkers that the future will require. For the majority of students, I am sure that they would write their own papers if they knew how to. Let’s even educate parents so that they can help stop the rapidly growing instances of plagiarism starting as early as elementary school. Teaching children at an early age to think for their selves try their hardest and do their own works would solve a lot of the problems around plagiarism.
The better educated you are, the better off you are socially, and economically. Having a degree is, in general, a good indicator of your level of education. To get it some students study very hard. Others, on the contrary, prefer to take some shortcuts that seem to be easier for them. Those, not so much interested in acquiring a solid education, simply want to plagiarize to pass their classes, to get that degree. Plagiarism spreads out through any level of our education system. It even extends beyond that limit to reach almost any aspect of our society. With the internet revolution, this problem becomes more acute. “The web has provided global access to an unfathomable cornucopia of term papers, essays, and other scholarly works, right there out in the open for purchase or outright theft” (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 160). This paper will discuss the different types of plagiarism. Before getting deeper into that discussion, we will start by explaining the word plagiarism.
Plagiarism is the copying of another individual’s writings and ideas. Plagiarism is an idea that has been constructed by society. It revolves around society’s ideas of intellectual and private property. It is considered to be a form of cheating. Often times in elementary schools and high schools, plagiarism is discussed as bad but is not actually prevented. Teachers often do not detect plagiarism and even when they do, sometimes it is ignored. The student is then rewarded with a good grade, ingraining within the student that it is acceptable to plagiarize. Plagiarism affects the ways an individual develops as a person and as a writer.
However, this defeats the whole purpose of school. If students are plagiarizing to get by, not only is there no creativity and originality, but it would not benefit them going on in the real world. It will not teach them how to use their brain to think critically on what they are doing. Depending on the severity of the plagiarism, consequences can vary. Some of these consequences could be getting kicked out of college, losing your position at a corporation or institution and possibly running into the risk of finding employment
In order to properly learn more about plagiarism, it is important to appreciate the process of distribution and creation of ideas in the university. All knowledge is developed from preceding knowledge. As we read, revise, execute, research, and collect perspectives, we are building on other people’s thoughts. While drawing on other peoples thoughts and ideas, we manage to develop our own. In this base therefore, students should not shy away from using the work of others. Instead, they should learn how to avoid plagiarism.
The impact of plagiarism can be a self-destructive for a student. On the other hand, plagiarism may cause an instructor to feel betrayed and disrespected by a student.
Plagiarism, or the unaccredited use of another's work or ideas, has become more and more of a problem in recent times than it was in the past. According to statistics found in a survey conducted by the Free Press, 58% of high school students let someone copy their work in 1969, but by 1989 this number had risen to 97%. The expansion of the World Wide Web and the number of people accessing the Web on a regular basis has caused an epidemic of plagiarism in this country, especially among students. This is a serious problem that must be addressed because many students feel that if they are not getting in trouble for cheating, than it is okay.
Plagiarism is a very serious subject to talk about. It doesn’t sound like it is that big of a deal but very serious things can come out of it. Students could lose scholarships and get kicked out of school for something as simple as copying someone else’s work. Students should learn the rules and regulations of the school ,that they are attending, about plagiarism.[1] That’s basically what plagiarism is; copying someone else’s work.
Plagiarism is a very serious topic to be dealt with, due to the fact that it can damage one’s future very severely. It is done often by students in high school and other institutes such as universities and colleges. People plagiarize intentionally and sometimes even unintentionally. The people who plagiarize intentionally are people who don’t really care about their future and career. The people who plagiarize unintentionally are people who do not cite their work properly and completely. Most people that plagiarize do not get a good mark and most likely have to face consequences such as failure, suspension or the chance of being expelled. In conclusion it is believed that one should not put his/her future at risk and try to expand their mind through the process of critical thinking independently, so they do not have to make the mistake of plagiarizing.
As students of high school and college, and even in the professional world, we are asked to research and write on subjects that are seen to be important. The research that we are asked to do, has been done many times in the past, which means people are bound to use others’ ideas and words with no recognition, sometimes without even knowing it. This leads to plagiarism, which is something many people have heard of, but never learned the true definition and the harm it can create. Schools and society need to be more proactive in explaining what plagiarism is, how to write correctly in order to prevent it, and teach the consequences plagiarism has.
Plagiarism is a serious offense and a growing trend in our society today. Some may associate plagiarism with the idea of taking someone else’s writing and making it their own. In fact plagiarism involves anything that is copied or taken and said to be of your own work. Dictionary.com defines plagiarism as “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, as by not crediting the author”. In fact this definition covers all types of cheating and misrepresentation of ones own work. There are many numbers and statistics that can be found on the amount of individuals that have admitted to cheating. Perhaps the most astounding number is one that was reported by Moeck in 2002 aloft of 40% of higher education students commit academic dishonesty. This number I’m sure has grown since this report and will continue to grow with the development of the Internet. There are a number of ideas and strategies that can be employed in order to stop this ever-growing phenomenon. As teachers and adults, we are responsible for stopping this trend and educating students about the consequences and dangers of plagiarism. I believe there are a variety of reasons individuals plagiarize. First, students are insecure with their own ability; they don’t believe they can do the work therefore they take others. Second, students believe they can get away with the act because they know others who have plagiarized, and there were not any consequences. Lastly, students are uneducated on what plagiarism is and do not know the consequences of their actions if they commit an act. These ideas will be the focus of the position taken on plagiarism in today’s academic society.