Plagiarism: A Pestilence in Education

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Plagiarism: The Pestilence in Education 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. Steiner 2 When I attended Calabasas High School, I was caught cheating in my tenth grade European History class by my instructor, Mr. White. This offense consisted of giving a fellow student, who sat in front of me, my homework. My friend told me he intended to compare his homework to mine. Not only did my peer betray me and copy my work, but I was punished for being so gullible. This homework assignment was worth two points out of a class that was worth close to three hundred total points. I was awarded a threatening letter sent home... ... middle of paper ... ...rofessors are having a challenging time discovering the offense. The Honor Code Committee modified and modernized the Academic Honor Code in an effort Steiner 8 to elucidate what denotes cheating. The result was a broader, more encompassing definition that was clearly more strict and rigid. With the revised conduct code plagiarism cases have escalated out of control. Perhaps the problem may also be due to the increased drains on students time, in which young adults are trying to work, achieve in school, engage in extracurricular activities, and volunteer. Competition has become fierce, and the result has been an increase in plagiarism. The problem is educators have put more effort into stopping the spread than into understanding the causal factors for the upsurgence. With the increase in plagiarism, educators feel they must have a firm defense against what they see.

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