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Academic essay on plagiarism: causes and effects
Implications of academic integrity
Implications of academic integrity
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Plagiarism
Plagiarism is not only in violation of the law, but also in violation of the ethics that we, as Americans, should possess. This is one case in which laws agree with ethics. To plagiarize means to steal and pass off the ideas and words of another as oneðs own. It is important to recognize that this definition includes the use of anotherðs production without crediting the source. When a person makes an effort to present an idea that has been taken from an existing source as new and original, he or she is committing an act of plagiarism.
Many may not realize the extreme prevalence of plagiarism in our society. The Center for Academic Integrity conducted a survey in which they found that approximately 80% of college students admit to cheating at least once. A similar study was conducted by the Psychological Record. This study found that 36% of undergraduate students have admitted to plagiarizing written materials. A national survey was conducted and published in Education Week. It yielded the following conclusions that 54% of students admitted to plagiarizing from the Internet and 74% of students admitted that they engaged in serious cheating in the past school year. These statistics prove that this is a growing problem that needs to be solved before it becomes an even larger issue. Many teachers tend to ignore students who are cheating. According to a study conducted by Ronald M. Aaron and Robert T. Georgia, 257 chief student affairs officers across the country feel the colleges and universities do not handle this issue adequately.(Plagiarism.org 1)It can be seen that many faculty members are not willing to devote their time and effort to this growing issue. Gallup Organization has said that the two most pressing issues that are facing society today are education and a decline of ethics.(Plagiarism.org 1) How can one fix an issue that seems to be extremely demanding, when one refuses to put in time and effort?
Many students feel that in order to receive a good grade they need to plagiarize, however the Writing Center from Hamilton College provides the public with alternate routes to achieve an A.
In the first place, writing at any level is a challenge. It is a process that requires active thinking as well as creativity. Equally important, is the drive to understand what is necessary to inform the reader when using someone else’s work. In his findings, Gabriel begins with examples of students that committed plagiarism in colleges both unknowingly and intentionally. After exploring the opinions of writing tutors and officials in these situations, he suggests that many students fail to realize that plagiarism is a crime (Gabriel). He relies on the expert opinions of educators who deal with these situations on a daily basis. One such opinion mentioned, is that of Teresa Fishman, the director for the Center of Academic Integrity at Clemson University (Gabriel). She stated, “It’s possible to believe this information is just out there for anyone to take” (qtd. in Plagiarism Lines). This is said in reference to how easy technology has made “copying” and “pasting” of information according to Gabriel. He visits both sides of the fence, so to speak, concerning the views...
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
I have also learned that the number of kids that plagiarize has increased by 31 percent from 1999 to 2001. The book states that the CAI (The Center for Academic Integrity) found three out of four kids admitted to cheating on a test when interviewed in 2002.
Plagiarism means to steal or borrow someone’s original ideas without their consent and labelling them your own. It can be done in different ways and has been labelled a serious offense in the contemporary world. Deriving ideas from an existing source in one’s work without citation of the work is a form of plagiarism. Also, using a production without crediting the source and committing literally theft are forms of plagiarism that can be charged in a court of law as copyright issues. It is considered fraud because it is stealing someone else’s work and making people to believe that it is your own. It is possible for different individuals to have similar ideas but the manner in which they are expressed cannot be the same. In writing
Moeck, P. G. “Academic Dishonesty: Cheating Among Community College Students.” Community College Journal of Research and Practice 26 (2002). 479-91.
Some say that only a jaded person would draw such conclusions. Perhaps. Nonetheless, the number of websites offering the quick sale of term papers to desperate students is exhaustive. The sites devoted to the dubious cause of relieving stressed out students who, for one reason or another, cannot write their own papers are glitzy, attractive, enticing. Jaded or not, my contention that more and more college students will plagiarize to get a college degree is based on my own quick investigation. If demand drives the market, an increasing number of students must be pouring dollars into the plagiarism business. Why?
In conclusion, plagiarism is dishonest and should never be done no matter what. When you plagiarize, you are taking a risk and there are serious consequences.
As students of high school and college, and even in the professional world, we are asked to research and write on subjects that are seen to be important. The research that we are asked to do, has been done many times in the past, which means people are bound to use others’ ideas and words with no recognition, sometimes without even knowing it. This leads to plagiarism, which is something many people have heard of, but never learned the true definition and the harm it can create. Schools and society need to be more proactive in explaining what plagiarism is, how to write correctly in order to prevent it, and teach the consequences plagiarism has.
Plagiarism, or the unaccredited use of another's work or ideas, has become more and more of a problem in recent times than it was in the past. According to statistics found in a survey conducted by the Free Press, 58% of high school students let someone copy their work in 1969, but by 1989 this number had risen to 97%. The expansion of the World Wide Web and the number of people accessing the Web on a regular basis has caused an epidemic of plagiarism in this country, especially among students. This is a serious problem that must be addressed because many students feel that if they are not getting in trouble for cheating, than it is okay.
The better educated you are, the better off you are socially, and economically. Having a degree is, in general, a good indicator of your level of education. To get it some students study very hard. Others, on the contrary, prefer to take some shortcuts that seem to be easier for them. Those, not so much interested in acquiring a solid education, simply want to plagiarize to pass their classes, to get that degree. Plagiarism spreads out through any level of our education system. It even extends beyond that limit to reach almost any aspect of our society. With the internet revolution, this problem becomes more acute. “The web has provided global access to an unfathomable cornucopia of term papers, essays, and other scholarly works, right there out in the open for purchase or outright theft” (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015, p. 160). This paper will discuss the different types of plagiarism. Before getting deeper into that discussion, we will start by explaining the word plagiarism.
Plagiarism is taking someone else’s work or idea and using as a benefit by making it look like it has not been copied from some sort of source. Plagiarism can be done unintentionally or intentionally either way it is a serious crime especially in schools and universities because it is known to be a form of cheating.
Plagiarism is defined by UMUC (2006) as “the intentional or unintentional presentation of another person’s idea or product as one’s own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following: copying verbatim all of part of another’s written work; using phrases, charts, figures, illustration, or mathematical or scientific solutions without citing the source; paraphrasing ideas conclusions or research without citing the source in the text and in reference lists; or using all or part of a literary ...
The true definition of plagiarism is “Using someone else’s ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness.”[2] There are many different ways of remedying this problem.
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.
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.