Controversy Regarding Papers Purchased from the Web

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Controversy Regarding Papers Purchased from the Web

Purchasing or obtaining term papers online can be looked at from

various different perspectives. Purchasing term papers for a school

assignment thru the internet is considered plagiarism. It also may be

illegal in some states to ship, sell, or purchase these documents.

Most teachers view the websites as cheating or plagiarizing, but if

used properly, students could benefit by using it as a tool or a guide

to help them in developing their own paper. The different views

collide when we ask the question, what is considered plagiarizing?

Printing a paper from the internet and turning it in does not help

develop critical thinking skills and the ability to express thoughts

and ideas. Tom Rocklin, director of the Center for Teaching at the

University of Iowa, says that businesspeople are looking for new hires

with skills developed by a traditional arts education. He also says

that discussion, reading, and extended writing are a crucial part of

the traditional arts education and students do not develop these

skills by printing a paper from the internet. Along with not getting a

strong education or getting kicked out of school you could also face

criminal charges if you participate with the buying or selling of term

papers. In some cases the seller could be charged with wire fraud,

mail fraud, racketeering, and in some states such as Massachusetts,

breaking a law that bans the sale of a term paper.

Some argue that using term paper websites are not plagiarism and can

be used for things like showing the writing skills of other college

students so you can compare your work. Students can also turn to these

websites to look for where information can be found on certain

subjects. If the papers on the web are parenthetically cited MLA style

it will show you where the writer got the information and you can look

it up yourself and put it in your own words. If you wanted you could

give credit to the author of the term paper and use it as a source of

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