Online Plagiarism, Research Paper Example

The internet has revolutionize the way in which people think, do, communicate, and live. Throughout the past 20 years, the number of data accessible to students on the web has grown to staggering proportions. No longer are students spending numerous hours in the library studying, now, students can with the press of the mouse, can access all the data needed to write a paper. As technology grows to see student assignments for plagiarism, thus too will the ways that students use to plagiarize while not getting caught. Plagiarism has become a pandemic throughout campuses across the globe. Before it is possible to totally perceive the matter of plagiarism, it is opportune to define plagiarism, and provide ways in which students are able to circumvent detection through paraphrasing. The main problem is there is an excessive amount of info accessible on the web for university students and employees to use for plagiarism, however, advances in technology also make it easy to monitor and detect plagiarism. The school must implement policies and provide tools in which help to solve the problem.

Plagiarism is considered, claiming or implying original authorship of (or incorporating material from) somebody else’s written or artistic work, in whole or partially, into one’s own while not adequate acknowledgement. It feels like a transparent cut definition, however within the realm of the web the task of dominating is discouraging. It may be as easy as paraphrasing text and not citing it properly, or blatantly repetition and pasting articles from websites to use as your own work. Specific definitions vary from faculty to high school, even once it involves the number of consecutive words raised from the first document. Over the past few years, many faculties have altered their official ethics policies to address this downside. Advancements in technology have safeguarded students against potential charges of plagiarism; however students cannot solely have confidence in these tools. Based on the research of Evering and Moorman (2012), the lack of engagement with or interest in material and pressure to gain high grades are also commented on (Evering, Moorman 36). The challenge is that professors even have access to tools, workbooks, and websites which will investigate each paper submitted in an exceedingly matter of minutes. Plagiarism is accustomed be a long method wherever the sole profit was that the scholar did not have to return up with a resourceful thought. “Potential plagiarists had to search out acceptable works from a restricted pool of resources, sometimes a close-by library, and replica them by hand. Since these resources were nearly always professionally written, the chance of detection was terribly high” (Plagiarism). Whereas they measure several sites wherever a student can purchase a schoolwork, shopping for that paper is not the most effective, thanks to enjoying the safeguards created by technology. It is becoming exceedingly clear that educators, likewise as students, have to be compelled to become oblivious of what plagiarism is, what constitutes it, and the way it is avoided so as to confirm students have gotten the foremost out of their on-line learning expertise.

Plagiarism is committed once somebody takes the words of the original author and passes them off as their own. Subsequently it is intellectual stealing, and is not solely ethically wrong, however, it is prohibited by all instructional institutions. Many of individuals or students commit plagiarism while not even realizing it. “Plagiarism was chosen as a writing strategy regardless of whether or not it was acknowledged to be a moral problem” (Skaar, Hammer 16). Students will follow all the principles, paraphrasing, summarizing, etc., however, not properly cite the supply wherever the thought was derived. Sadly, cognitive content is not an appropriate defense. For instance, as being pulled over for driving sixty-five mph and telling the officer, they properly did not apprehend the ordinance was thirty five mph. The officer can presumably still give the person a speeding ticket. Similar, when inadvertently taking credit for work not done by the student is plagiarism on all fronts (Alsaffar 5). Additionally, plagiarism is committed wittingly by the scholar and as results of sheer laziness. Within the large portion of the web, info abounds for on-line students, as will the chance to breed, distribute and even share papers and comes. According to Grohe, Schroder, Davis, (2013), plagiarism and cheating are substantial problems throughout higher education, because they are serious interference in learning. In their course that focuses on criminal justice, the main objective was to improve the writing processes, and knowledge about plagiarism. “Plagiarism creates shortcuts that bypass the time and effort required to develop the writing” (Grohe, Schroder, and Davis 2).

Students usually realize the required info on the net, then cut and paste it into emails, category forums and assignments. Schoolwork websites are out there, as well, advertising a papers available for a nominal fee per page (Villano 2). Plagiarism is not solely prohibited, however, it is hurtful to students for a range of reasons. Initially, it violates federal copyright laws. Several students are blissfully unaware that info found on the net is, by default, proprietary the instant its place into a hard and fast format. What this implies, is that any info on a publicly-accessible website is simply as protected as an editorial found in an instructional journal, and will be treated intrinsically and cited befittingly. According to Selwyn (2008), “the only technology-related area for change which may be pursued stems from the finding that students who were frequent users of the internet for what could loosely be termed informal procurement practices were also more likely to report episodes of online plagiarism” (Selwyn 467). Within the recent lawsuits against students infringing on the proprietary material of record corporations and picture studios, it is within the individual’s best interest to forever offer credit wherever credit is due. This could not, however, discourage students from taking full advantage of all of the knowledge that is out there. Copyright laws were supposed to market growth of education and therefore the enrichment of the population, whereas protective the origination and mastermind of the words and concepts (Alsaffar 8). Plagiarism is additionally damaging to the scholars in government agencies, which commit it, likewise on the scholars in the agencies, take the time to analysis and complete their own work. A student on the other hand, is lazy and does not place within the full effort, is simply symptom himself within the long-term, as a result of he has not thinking on his own and casting off the supposed education from the assignment. “We quantify copy-and-paste plagiarism among adult learners in an online geography course offered through Penn State’s World Campus Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program” (Jocoy DiBase 3).On the opposite facet of the spectrum, the scholar puts in an honest effort and submits a resourceful paper might receive a lower score than she truly deserves. This is often the case if plagiarism goes undiscovered, and raises the bar for all others to receive an A on the paper.

Legitimate work could seem inferior compared to a paper that has sampled the ideas of additional advanced and complicated authors (Villano 5). Once considering the results of plagiarism and copyright in an internet atmosphere, students have to be compelled to proceed with caution. In an editorial titled, “Copyright considerations in on-line Education: What Students have to be compelled to apprehend”.  Jackie Alsaffar says it best: “Engagement with the content of a course is what pedagogy is all regarding, is at the guts of an intellectual life, and it is an objective of each course tutored, whether or not face-to-face or on-line” (Alsaffar 6). However aloof from being an abstract construct within the on-line course, copyright is an integral part of the web operation.  Nearly everything that is scan, observed, watched, listened to or written by the scholar in an internet category is protected by copyright. It is for this reason that students registered in on-line schools and universities have to be compelled to be educated in ways that to avoid plagiarism, not solely to safeguard themselves from the likelihood of infringement of copyright, however, to ensure they are facilitating the educational method and receiving information from the course that is supposed (Alsaffar, 9). However what is done to stem the tide of plagiarism? Lecturers are losing a technological war with their students over plagiarism for several years. Since the days once term papers and alternative assignments were written by hand, students are willing to gift work completed by others as their own. Nowadays with a larger array of tools offered to students the plagiarism downside has exploded. From the straightforward cutting-and-pasting from un-cited sources to the utilization of searchable collections of term papers offered for purchase, students have a large choice of data and techniques that create it easier for them to commit plagiarism. However, lecturers and educators are currently getting down to use constant technology to combat plagiarism.

Understanding what plagiarism may be a task in itself however understanding why students lie with is that the core of the matter. Despite the consequences of plagiarism that embody embarrassment, a failing course grade, and ultimately expulsion, students still wittingly lie with. Poor time management skills are typically given for the main reason for student plagiarism (Jocoy, DiBase 3) Instant panic sets in and therefore the solely choice that they furnish themselves is plagiarism. Students typically feel the requirement steal once they do not comprehend a selected assignment. Rather than asking the acceptable inquiries to perceive the subject they take the straightforward resolution. Students perceive that it is a terribly tough and time intense for colleges to discover and prove plagiarism. This truth provides the student with the confidence they are going to not get caught. In step with Scholastic.com, a national survey in 2001 by the Middle for Tutorial Integrity found that fifty two percent of high school students admitted to repetition text from an online website and together with it in their written work while not citing the supply. Incredibly, a complete of seventy two percent of scholars admitted to some style of plagiarism on written assignments, and seventy four percent admitted to cheating on tests. These are outstanding numbers if you examine simply high school students alone. In step with Alex P. Kellog, “Another study performed in 2002 asked 698 college man students however, typically they derived. During this study, only 24.5 percent admitted to having cut and glued text from the web while not using correct citation. Apparently, over ninety percent of the undergraduates rumored that their peers were most likely doing similar. Although it is tough to prove plagiarism, new methods are being utilized and up-to-date technology is offered to school workers to combat this drawback.

Some professors can set parameters within which analysis may be conducted. As an example, an academician may raise students to solely use a selected web info or a selected set of journals for associate degree assignment. This limits the quantity of knowledge that a student will utilize and plagiarism is detected easier. Another strategy is for students to acquiesce all sources and highlight all specific texts that were utilized in the assignment. In doing this, the student would learn to adequately cite and quote the resources used.  Several professors and universities have turned to on-line “plagiarism checkers”. The future of plagiarism detection, and emphasizes “that any form of online detection service can only act as a mere diagnostic tool to highlight possible cases of plagiarism, with human judgment always needed to investigate further” (McKeever 156). These refined pay websites, scan the assignment for plagiarism through a colossal info of articles, journals, books, periodicals, web pages, and antecedently submitted papers. Turnitin.com, not solely checks for plagiarism however, provides an elaborate report relating to the paper in question. It additionally offers comprehensive coaching for his or her tools for all of their on-line tools. Several students use paid paper, and essay, writing services accessible on-line. This is often one style of writing that is thought of the straightforward resolution.  Most of those forms of websites boast “100% plagiarism checks” or they will guarantee that the paper is not derived. However, it currently thought of as plagiarism, as a result of those two students turned within the same paper by a similar company. The solution is affirmative, as a result of those papers are written by some other person, and do not seem to be recognizing the one that actually wrote the paper.

Software firms have detected the cry of academics, and have developed plagiarism detection software programs. Detection computer code merchandise use varied strategies to accomplish and analyze papers written by students. The processes utilized by these programs embody text matching, indexed sources, and elegance analysis of content (Kellog 3). Every one of these strategies are accustomed to sight plagiarism has its benefits and downsides. Text matching computer code searches the web searching for matches in words with indexed sources (Kellog 5). Each of those strategies additionally compares phrases to assist in identifying plagiarism. Detection technology provides support for matching text and provide analysis from previous papers written by different student. However, has inherent limitations and does not perpetually work. There are several reasons why detection computer code might not work. There are 3 reasons that are common on why plagiarism is not detected. The primary reason is that the net sources cited might be aloof from the web, between the time it absolutely was cited within the paper, and once the paper was checked (Kennedy 4). The second reason is there’s no set image online. This implies the internet is dynamic, and the computer code will lag behind this state of the web. It is attainable that an online resource cited in a paper could be a new addition to the online or is found in a very freshly developed section of the internet. The third reason for failure is that the computer code doesn’t have access to any or all subscription websites that contain sources of data online. In reality, solely a little fraction of total web content will be analyzed by the plagiarism computer code. There’s some detection computer code which will enter a limited variety of subscription sites. However, these sites are few and much between. Most sites together with like Lexis-Nexis, EBSCO, Swets, et al do not enable access into their databases by detection computer code (Auer 6).

Some educators and academics notice another drawback with plagiarism detection websites. They feel that text matching technology does not effectively differentiate between the accidental act of plagiarism and from the intentional plagiarizer (Evering Moorman 38). The computer code cannot offer the teacher with any insights on the intent of the scholar. Some teachers feel that this can result in an environment of guilty till innocent wherever students are forced to prove their innocence, which they failed to commit plagiarism. Even with the advances in technology, plagiarism may be incomprehensible. On-line plagiarism tools are designed to search out, close to and precise matched of revealed work. Any search tool the individual will employ solely searches for text matches. Searches do not prove or negate plagiarism; indeed, they usually miss plagiarism. What is more, search tools cannot make out fraud and deliberate cheating from unintentional mistakes in handling sources (McKeever 160). Teachers still feel there’s an area for plagiarism detection technology. Having the power to check student’s papers with plagiarism detection tools is a part of penalization. The penalization of scholars that commit plagiarism serves two functions. One it punishes the scholar that violate the principles, and it deters different students from committing identical behavior (Selwyn 471). The simplest way to deter students from committing plagiarism is to publicize the fact that student’s work are checked for plagiarism with plagiarism detection tools, and students found cheating are disciplined (Johnson, Patton, Bimber, Almeroth, and Michaels 25). If students are fully unaware that detection tool is getting used, and penalization of plagiarizer can occur, there’ll be very little or no deterrent to students from collaborating during this sort of dishonesty. On the opposite hand, wherever deterrence is prevailing, and it is proverbial that the scholars work are checked, very little or no penalization might occur. Teachers and educators all agree that the simplest thanks to avoid plagiarism is to form an environment within which it is unlikely to occur. It is vital for students, teachers, and therefore, the educational establishments to market educational integrity and student ethics (Kennedy 8). While not all have ethics and integrity, today’s students can still commit cut and paste plagiarism.

One vital way to avoid repetition and misuse of somebody else’s ideas is to buy a plagiarism finder. Students can buy this software package at comparatively low prices. There are even discounts out there for college kids. Students are able to purchase the software package employing a student identification card. In the student’s own way to avoid plagiarism, is to compile notes quotes and information in the Microsoft document. Cutting and pasting original quotes and concepts into a word document can be accessed later, and can forestall misquoting within the final paper (Grohe, Schroeder, and Davis 35). Once a student has created a comprehensive log of references, he or she is going to be able to choose the suitable kind of citation for the borrowed material. An honest rule of thumb to follow is to “document any words, ideas, or different productions that originate somewhere outside of you” (Stolley 5). Taking the additional time to catalog these original works can save time on the thumbing back through reference materials. Even with these on-line tools, students have to be compelled to understand that no tool is ideal. Students have to be compelled to perceive that it is their responsibility to properly reference all analysis materials.

Students have to be compelled to learn the way to make out acceptable data expeditiously, learning to expeditiously explore for relevant resources results in hyperbolic awareness of plagiarism pitfalls. Data acquisition and therefore, the application of effective and reflective thinking are vital skills for all students. The moral responsibilities do not seem to be just for the scholar, the trainer incorporates a responsibility to the scholar to confirm correct moral behavior. If the lack of awareness could be a downside inflicting plagiarism then the trainer ought to take the responsibility to confirm all his or her students’ are totally responsive to schoolroom and university policies regarding plagiarism (Skaar, Hammer 18). Learning could be a team effort whereby the university takes half the responsibility of the scholars learning. For example, Albert Francis Charles Augustus Emmanuel Einstein’s theory of scientific theory is well known as his. Suppose that he was born throughout the net age and his work was on-line. What does one assume the probabilities of somebody else claiming his thought and work would possibly be? The probabilities of somebody else truly claiming his ideas area unit terribly high. The general public do not copyright within the starting stages of their work any longer. In Einstein’s day copyright and protections of one’s work were nearly redundant because the system and private integrity were taken with a pinch of salt. Students perceive that repetition of an author’s work word for word is wrong. Students do not notice that paraphrasing will infringe on a plan of another. Intellectual properties area unit the words and concepts of the authors, and may be sited befittingly.

In addition to legal and moral issues, plagiarism is often conjointly a sensible issue, in this it is often helpful to consult the sources utilized by the author, and plagiarism makes this tougher. There is a variety of reasons why this is often useful, the author could commit a mistake in however, they interpret or use a supply, and consulting the first resource permits these errors to be detected.  Students typically solely offer the parts. It is important in using another person’s concepts to support the argument as long as the student attributes the credit to the author, and cite the resource within the text at the end of the sentence. Doing this can make it easier to place the concepts in the individuals own words. Teachers and universities should require students to exchange in learning groups. This team approach is another great tool to avoid plagiarism. Team members provide one another recommendation on a way to cite articles properly. They assist one another in proofreading assignments to seek out plagiarism, and also the team works to seek out troublesome answers. Everybody on the team is answerable for derived material, that the team can facilitate one another to seek out discrepancies.

Plagiarism has become an ever increasing drawback since the introduction of the internet. Educators will sit back and do nothing or they will take a stand to combat the matter. Plagiarism is considered the deliberate or inadvertent use of passing of another’s author’s work as their own. There are several tools to forestall plagiarism together with permitting longer to complete an assignment,  purchase plagiarism software package, taking elaborate notes, and citing the work of another author. The simplest factor for any student to try to is to cite any words or concepts that do not seem to be original. This may forestall a fair larger headache within the future. Teachers will use all the technology accessible to forestall and sight plagiarism. Academic establishments will publicize the fact that job submitted by the student are checked with plagiarism detection computer code and violators are disciplined. However, the sole true way in which to stop plagiarism is to encourage ethics. Student’s ethics and educational integrity should be schooled at an early age to instill these values, in that way to carry on through adulthood.

Works Cited

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Auer, N. J. “Mouse Click Plagiarism: The Role of Technology in Plagiarism and the Librarian’s Role in Combating It.” Library Trends. Web. 2001. 19 April 2015. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1387/is_3_49/ai_75278304/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

Evering, Lea Calvert, and Gary Moorman. “Rethinking Plagiarism in the Digital Age.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 56.1 (2012): 35-44. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

Grohe, Bonnie, Julie Schroeder, and Sherree R. B. Davis. “Using Online Resources to Improve Writing Skills and Attitudes about Writing and Plagiarism of Criminal Justice Students.” Journal On Excellence In College Teaching24.1 (2013): 23-45. Education Research Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

Kellog, Alex P. “Students Plagiarize Online Less than Many Think, a New Study Finds.” Chronicle of Higher Education. 15 Feb 2002. Web. 19 April 2014. http://www.cbu.edu/library/faculty/plagiarism/

Johnson, D., Patton, R., Bimber, B., Almeroth, K., & Michaels, G. “Technology and plagiarism in the university: Brief report of a trial in detecting cheating.” AACE. (2004). Web. 19 Apr. 2014. http://www.aace.org/pubs/aacej/temp/02patton281-299.pdf

Kennedy, R. “Digital Plagiarism: The Role of Society and Technology.” Orange A Student Journal of Technical Communication. 2009 Jan. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. http://orange.eserver.org/issues/5-1/kennedy.html

Villano, M. (2006). Taking the work out of homework. T H E Journal, 33(15), 24-30. Retrieved July 24, 2008 from EBSCOhost.

Jocoy, Christine, and David DiBiase.”Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A Case Study in Detection and Remediation.” International Review Of Research In Open And Distance Learning 7.1 (2006): 1-15. ERIC. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

McKeever, Lucy. “Online Plagiarism Detection Services–Saviour or Scourge?” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 31.2 (2006): 155-165. ERIC. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Plagiarism.org. “Plagiarism Today”. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. http://plagiarism.org/index.html

Selwyn, Neil. “‘Not Necessarily a Bad Thing …’ a Study of Online Plagiarism amongst Undergraduate Students.” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 33.5 (2008): 465-479. Sociological Collection. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

Skaar, Håvard, and Hugo Hammer. “Why Students Plagiarise From The Internet: The Views And Practices In Three Norwegian Upper Secondary Classrooms.” International Journal for Educational Integrity 9.2 (2013): 15-34. Education Research Complete. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.