Plagiarism: Adjusting the Consequence

1043 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Causes and effects of plagiarism

1 Most universities believe students should be expelled immediately due to the acts of plagiarism. But is it really safe to jump to such an extreme conclusion for an action that in most cases, require some sort of investigation or trial? For many years, universities have battled students on this particular subject. Plagiarism has levels that should be dealt with by first locating the cause, examining the evidence, and determining whether it was purposely planned or not. Students, just like their professors, sometimes make simple mistakes and no student should be immediately expelled for unobvious plagiarism. Immediate expulsion is unruly and unfair to students who actually work hard, but may lack the necessary knowledge to detect plagiarism.

2 The problem with an immediate expulsion and why it is unfair to students is because it can overlook the truth too soon and cause permanent damage to one’s future without an explanation. It would be unfair to penalize students in such a way who have no history in plagiarizing and may even have straight A’s in their current classes. Some universities do not focus on bringing awareness to students on preventing plagiarism, so why should innocent students be forced to fail the entire class? According to writer Zinie Chen Sampson at Pilot Online News, Allison Routman, an Ohio University senior who attended an off-grounds program for the University of Virginia said she was shocked when a professor accused her of plagiarizing from an online synopsis of a movie. The University of Virginia has a single-sanction honor code, meaning students face expulsion after one violation. The professor had suspected plagiarism in a number of students for the assignment given and allowed them to come fort...

... middle of paper ...

...o asking questions needed to pass, not just that course, but all others as well.

Works Cited

Chapman, Lindsey. "Expelled Student Sues Classmate Over Accusations of Plagiarism."

FindingDulcinea. 21 Nov. 2008. Web. 21 June 2011.

Sampson, Zinie Chen. "Students Expelled from UVA Shipboard Program for Plagiarism."

Pilot Online | Hampton Roads. The Associated Press, 11 Aug. 2008. Web. 21 June 2011.

Waldman, Loretta. "Lawsuit Is Latest Chapter in Accusation of Cheating At CCSU" The

Hartford Courant. The Hartford Courant, 18 Nov. 2008. Web. 21 June 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Anorexia: The Cheating Disorder, by Richard Murphy

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... to support the claim of plagiarism. But the woman who wrote of her experience with Anorexia was confronted with no evidence at all, just a suspicion. Professors are not taught how to approach these situations. If sales associates in retail stores are not allowed to confront suspected shoplifters without consulting loss prevention staff and real evidence, professors should not be able to do the same with suspected plagiarizing students. Students are likely always going to find some way to cheat because there is too much importance put on grades from a very young age, and not enough on the importance of actual learning.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism: The Blurred Line of Literature

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    If anything is held to the highest value in any array of schools, it is a policy against plagiarism. Academics understand the severity that plagiarism can hold, especially since many of them tend to do it to each other. In 2005, Melissa Elias, who was at the time the President of the Madison School Board, gave a commencement speech that had several sections that were plagiarized from a speech Anna Quindlen, a Pulitzer Prize winner author, had given to Mount Holyoke in 1999. Kaavya Viswanathan, a Harvard University Sophomore, had published a book with several portions of copied from works of four different authors. Individuals held at high academic expectations committed both of these incidents, one being the president of a school and the other being a student of an Ivy League University. However, despite their valor in academia they both plagiarized, the only difference being that Viswanathan was getting royalties for her act of plagiarism. One has to question whether there really is a difference between these two cases, because both individuals clearly intentionally plagiarized. When handling cases of plagiarism one has to be extremely cautious due to the various degrees of plagiarism that depend on the individual’s intentionality and regards to profit.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism and the Casual Plagiarist

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is a random Thursday night on the first floor of Brewster Hall and the Campus of State University when a frazzled young girl wanders into the room of a fellow student inquiring about The Stranger by Albert Camus. She needs to have a three page paper completed by tomorrow and cannot find a kick start on the essay writing process. Since her peers are on the level of the common doormat concerning Camus, she was left without any further help. However, had she just typed “the stranger, camus” into Google, three of the first ten sites listed would have directed her to either free or paid essay sites.

    Read More

  • Cheating and Plagiarism - The Plague of Plagiarism

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Simply defined, the word plagiarism means "the unauthorized use of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own" ("Plagiarism").  While many students understand and comprehend the first clause of this definition, many encounter problems with the second part - the thoughts part.  Many students in today's educational system are frequently unable to develop their own thoughts, opinions, and ideas relating to the subject matter that they are studying.  However, when people at a university are educated according to the ways set forth by John Henry Newman in "The Idea of a University," their ability to create original concepts would be cultivated to the point, where they do not feel the need to plagiarize and cheat.  Newman also states that in the end, the university will produce citizens that can give back to society (48).  Jeffrey Hart makes a similar point in "How to Get a College Education."  Therefore, according to both Newman and Hart, an honest person will be fashioned by the university.  Since honesty does not breed cheating, should not cheating then be minimized?  Plagiarism and its sister cheating are plagues on society that only serve to corrupt it.  Nevertheless, the education given by a university can diminish and, perhaps, even eradicate the disease by instilling in students,  a sense of honor, and implementing harsh penalties on those caught cheating or plagiarizing.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism: A Pestilence in Education

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    When I think of plagiarism, I imagine a person literally stealing from another individual. The term plagiarism is derived from the Latin word plagi rius, which essentially represents the felony of kidnapping. An individual who kidnaps anothers work is a felon. Obviously, this form of larceny is not as immoral as the form for which one can be imprisoned; however, most educators and honest students view plagiarism in this manner. Within education I conceive that there are two kinds of plagiarism: copying a paper word-for-word and not providing the correct recognition to the original author when utilizing their composition. I believe that each situation of plagiarism should be considered serious enough to investigate in order to determine an appropriate consequence. If an individual is not clear on how to cite works properly within the context of an essay, then the omission should be determined non-intentional and, therefore, not subject to punishment. However, if someone deliberately duplicates somebody elses work, then he or she should be reprimanded. This form of pilfering usually occurs in the higher levels of education, as in high school or college.

    Read More

  • Honor Code Dbq

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    All penalties are handled in an all-student court. The author states, “Our honor code is strictly enforced, and the enforcement is handled by an all-student court. Students convicted of lying or cheating can expect to receive punishments ranging from suspension to expulsion.” (Source C) Enforcing the honor code in this way give the students an input on how the students are charged. In order to inveigh a student for cheating or plagiarism, the they must have evidence leading up to the accusation of cheating. This way students will have laws of a propensity to cheat or

    Read More

  • Plagiarism In The Digital Age

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    New York Times journalist, Trip Gabriel, puts into perspective students ability to use their creativity throughout their academic career in “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age.” This article discusses issues of plagiarism in the digital age, especially through college students. There are different perspectives from various people either attending college or professors that argue why plagiarism occurs. Whether it’s because of laziness, unpreparedness going into college, originality, or authorship not taken into consideration. Overall, this article infers the different standpoints of plagiarism, demonstrating the ease the digital age gives students to plagiarize, and the importance

    Read More

  • Dbq Honor Code

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every school, no matter its ranking, faces the possibility of plagiarism. As a result, honor codes have been implemented as a solution. By definition, these codes are established to ensure that each and every student develops and executes a sense of integrity. These codes could alter the environment of a school, whether it has more severe punishments than another. The integrity of these codes solely depends upon the actions and influences of the students. Schools, including my own, should maintain their honor code if it presents fair expectations and illustrates a positive way of developing stronger morality.

    Read More

  • Seneca College Plagiarism

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    They show their view of plagiarism clearly in their documents through the use of terms such as “without hesitation” and “will not be tolerated” (Student code of conduct and discipline, 2015, p. 6; 9. Academic Honesty, n.d.). Many college students try to find out the ways how to avoid being accused of committing a serious academic offence as much as they can. Putting their own name on someone else’s works and getting good grades, some of them might succeed cleverly, but it is nothing but dishonesty. Both colleges warn students the consequences of plagiarism strongly, saying it can bring negative

    Read More

  • The Use Of Online Plagiarism In School Papers In John Hickman

    396 Words  | 1 Pages

    The article Cybercheats clearly shows the cause/use of plagiarism. Students of all ethnic backgrounds use plagiarism. However it also shows how most schools are trying to crack down. Two employees from National Institutes of Health actually have a program that can decode essays that may have some sort of plagiarism. It is clearly obvious that the students who do indeed use this from of cheating have no real values. As Michael Miller, a teacher at Georgetown University, says, "It's really up to the individual reader to do with the information what they will, good or evil. I belong to a school that says teach people to do the right thing and then turn'em loose." It seems that if you are adult enough to actually attend collage then you are adult enough to handle the pressures and responsibilities that come along with it. For most cases the use of plagiarism is clearly used by students who don't know the value/capabilities of there own. They also aren't usually aware of the consequences.

    Read More

  • Reflection Of Social Work

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    The course also challenged me and allowed me to think critically. Whenever I am faced with an issue I know that I should take steps to formulate an opinion. It’s always good to ask questions to clarify anything. Once all the facts are established, I know that I should assess them. Finally I am able to assert a carefully thought out opinion (3). After taking these steps can be sure my opinion is right and not just for me personally, but regarding others too.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism As an Art Form

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    One aspect of the creative industry that has remained the same throughout generations is the difficulty for artists to inject their work into popular culture. Utopian Plagiarism, Hypertextuality, and Electronic Cultural Production by Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) written in 1991 argues that “The Video revolution failed for two reasons – a lack of access and an absence of desire” (99) while artists from the documentary Press. Pause. Play. point out how easy access is to creative technology. The artists from PPP point out that it is much more difficult for good work to breakthrough into popular culture because there is so much of it. Comparing the arguments by CAE with the ideas in PPP reveals that artists breaking through into popular culture has always been difficult, but it is difficult today for different reasons than it used to be. For this reason, quality plagiarism is essential in the creative industry.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism: A Very Serious Offense

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Plagiarism Position Paper

    1870 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Wright Brothers

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    "The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot." Smithsonian Education. Smithsonian Institution, 23 Jan. 2013. Web. 8 Jan. 2014. .

    Read More

More about Plagiarism: Adjusting the Consequence

Open Document