Plagiarism - A Severe Threat to the Society

Plagiarism - A Severe Threat to the Society Every day throughout the world, teachers strive to attain the most from their students in every aspect of life, from effective communication and language skills, to the development of individualism and the concept of being the best that you could be. With the use of exams, class discussions, and written assignments, educators subconsciously reinforce the idea that success can only be achieved from within, with personal expression and dedication to each and every task faced in modern existence. The world, as we see it today, has not evolved by people copying one another’s ideas. It has evolved from the willingness of individuals to step up and make their intentions known, to bring about new ideas and concepts to forever change the environment in which we live. All too often, though, due to stress, insufficient time allowance, or just plain laziness, people take the quickest and most unproblematic approach to getting work done, in turn, failing to play their part in society’s evolution by retaining individual ideas and viewpoints. For centuries, plagiarism has been a major stumbling block in the pathway for academic success. Plagiarism, as defined, means “to steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as one's own". It has existed in one form or another since the advent of time, with individuals copying the work of others to propel themselves forward in their own education or professional work field. The problem is magnified significantly in today’s society as we live in a high speed world where all of the information that you could possibly need is at the convenience of your fingertips. "Across the United States, universities -- and even in ... ... middle of paper ... ... were forced to deal with it. Evaluated more thoroughly, these statistics show not only a problem with student plagiarizing, but also an underlying problem of the failure to recognize it as a severe threat to the future development of today’s society. In order for society to continue to grow and prosper in technology, educators and employers alike must realize that plagiarism is indeed a genuine concern and as a result, must be dealt with in a more severe matter to encourage individualism. Often the threat of a failed grade or expulsion from a university is not enough to deter students from cheating if known instances have not been appropriately dealt with in the past. If the problem is to be mended, educators must make examples of students who plagiarize written material, so we can discontinue the trend that seems to be irresistible to today’s society.