The Problem of Plagiarism

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Problem As American education enters a time when the ability to use technology becomes imperative, a time when students will become expected to communicate and work via the Internet, and a time when students will need to be able to find and interpret information efficiently and correctly, secondary school teachers are searching for ways to provide their students with assessments that mirror the expectations those students will face in the workforce. One way to do this is to have students research topics and create position papers, presentations, and various other forms of written expression that require students to synthesize and analyze information. However, in the midst of researching topics and sharing ideas, these same students are faced with the temptation to simply copy and paste information as they find it. Instances of plagiarism are on the rise, yet teachers are in a position where they cannot discontinue this type of assessment. Therefore, teachers face the question: How can we stop the rise of plagiarism among students? Input Since teachers have given assessments of any kind, students have attempted to find ways to cheat. Whether they were looking at another student’s paper, attempting to gain answers prior to the test, or directly copying another student’s work, these students were trying to gain a favorable grade without performing to the required standard. Today’s digital age has not only added more opportunity for students to copy the work of another, but it has also added an air of ambiguity to what is and is not cheating, or plagiarism. Some of this stems from, as Taylor (2003) states, “different mores and values than in the past [that] all contribute to cheating;” therefore, “working to understand underlyin... ... middle of paper ... ...arch 11). New honor codes for a new generation. Inside higerhed. Retrieved June 25, 2009, from http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/03/11/pavela1. McKeever, L. (2006, April 1). Online plagiarism detection services – saviour or scourge?. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(2), 155-165. Retrieved June 25, 2009, from ERIC database. Slobogin, K. (2002, April 5). Survey: Many students say cheating’s ok. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/04/05/highschool.cheating/. Taylor, K.R. (2003, November). Bracing for cheating and plagiarism. The Education Digest, 69(3), 54-59. Retrieved June 25, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals database. Villano, M. (2006, October). Taking the work out of homework. T.H.E. Journal, 33(15), 24- 26,28,30. Retrieved June 25, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals database.

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