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In this topic, we will discuss academic honesty and plagiarism
Plagiarism in the academic context
Evils and consequences of academic plagiarism
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Plagiarism is defined as: to steam and pass off the ideas or words of another as one’s own. To use another’s production without crediting the source. To commit literary theft. To present as new and original an idea or product from an existing source (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).
Why Students Plagiarize
Plagiarism occurs among College students for many reasons. Creating a well written research paper, book review, etc. takes a lot of time and discipline. Many students do not manage their time very well and find themselves facing a quickly approaching deadline. Under the pressure of time, students look for quick fixes such as “copy and paste’ techniques which can lead to plagiarism. In other situations, students simply fail to take proper notes that include quotes, paraphrases and the proper citations. Lack of confidence in their own writing skills can lead some students to borrow information from other sources because they feel that they are unable to come up with original thoughts and ideas. Failing to learn how to use proper citation can cause a lot of confusion during the writing process. This confusion causes many students to use improper citation, which can be viewed as plagiarism.
Intentional vs. Unintentional
Many of the reasons for plagiarism already discussed are examples of “unintentional” plagiarism. Most students do not plan to plagiarize but they are often overwhelmed by deadlines and multiple assignments. This leads them to look for a quick way to meet the demands so they quickly put together an assignment and fail to cite their sources properly. Also as mentioned, some students do not understand how to use proper citation so they commit plagiarism without intending to do so. However, students who do not m...
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Conclusion
Plagiarism is an issue that should be taken serious by all students. Although, most cases of plagiarism are unintentional, most are easily avoided. Students can avoid making mistakes that lead to plagiarism by managing their time well, taking good notes that include all the bibliographical information from the source, asking questions when in doubt and following the writing guidelines of their given field, such as those of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Plagiarism prevention for students (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2011, from http://library.csusm.edu/plagiarism/
PlagiarismdotORG (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2011, from http://www.plagiarism.org
One reason is laziness; a student may decide to plagiarize an author’s work due to the fact that they are lazy and do not feel like using their brain to put it in their own words. Another reason a student may decide to plagiarize is because of time; a student make have a very right schedule due to work, other classes, etc. So in this case, they feel like they do not have enough time to put a lot of effort and thinking into a paper, so they choose to copy the author’s ideas. A final reason may include depression and stress; one student may have a difficult life due to excessive amounts of depression or family issues everyday outside of school. Therefore, the student feels the need to plagiarize because they feel that they are not well enough to put an author’s ideas in their own words; if it is family related then may feel like their family is not being supportive and feel that they may never make it through
Association for Psychological Science. Association for Psychological Science, 27 Aug. 2012: n.pag. Web. 7 Sep. 2013. .
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.
In today’s academic world many students are challenged when it comes to writing, or so they think. Many of them believe that they can go on the internet and use whatever is needed for the paper they are writing. Maybe it is a lack of knowledge or confidence that they are capable of expressing themselves on paper. The majority of the time many students procrastinate until the last minute to write a paper. There are few thing students need to learn about plagiarism such as what is plagiarism, how to cite sources correctly, methods of detecting plagiarism, and what academic punishment they face when caught.
Gall, S. B., Beins, B., & Feldman, A. (2001). The gale encyclopedia of psychology. (2nd ed., pp. 271-273). Detroit, MI: Gale Group.
College students face a variety of pressures and have a variety of motives that lead to intentional Plagiarism and unknowing or unintentional acts of Plagiarism. Most students plagiarize because they are overwhelmed. Writing assignments require a lot of time and a long thought process which may be a reason students feel overwhelmed at times.
Black Law Dictionary say, “The dictionary defines plagiarism as “The act of appropriating the literary composition of another, or parts or passages of his writings, or the ideas or language of the same, and passing them off as the product of one’s own mind”. (Black). Several things are wrong with plagiarism. We have learned that you have to take ownership of your mistake after committing plagiarism. We learn the procedures and what the consequences are for plagiarism. People can get into serious trouble for plagiarizing someone else’s work.
Plagiarism is a serious academic or professional offense that could, unfortunately, ruin one’s academic and professional success. A multitude of people within a student body may not understand the importance of plagiarism and the seriousness of this offense in one’s academic or professional life. As indicated by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of “plagiarize”, is “to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own”, the definition also states to “use (another's production) without crediting the source” (“Plagiarizing”). There are several different types of plagiarism; however, each type is very serious. The Turnitin Plagiarism Spectrum is a beneficial website that explains ten different types of plagiarism
Scott Jaschik discusses various situations of plagiarism in college in his article, “Winning Hearts and Minds in War on Plagiarism,” in order to argue that there are more efficient solutions to prevent plagiarism. Having his article published in an online news source, Inside Higher Ed, allows for Jaschik to have an audience of first year English and college instructors interested in learning about higher education. Jaschik writes in general to an audience who is interested in academic integrity and those who want to either stop or learn more about plagiarism. Jaschik employs various situations such as an online student discussion board and an assignment to purposely plagiarize in order to highlight common issues with why students plagiarize.
Current Directions in Psychological Science 15.5 (2006): 265-68. Print. The.
"Fools make researches and wise men exploit them." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the word plagiarize as to pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another. Every student knows that plagiarism is dishonest and wrong. Why do so many students do it? Students themselves may not believe that they are plagiarizing. Many students plagiarize because of the diverse types of plagiarism which are often unknown to students. The three major types of plagiarism are shameless, haphazard and self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism is a relatively new concept that has not gained much attention in the student world.
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.
Edited by Raymond J. Corsini. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 1. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
There are many reasons why students choose to plagiarize. These students in general are students that seem to procrastinate or do the easiest thing possible which is to just copy something from someone who has already done their research on the subject.
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.