Library_writer 6 | - Freelance Writer
Jul 16, 2019 | #1
INTRODUCTION
Cases of cheating in schools and colleges are seriously condemned, not only in the United States, but also in the rest of the academic institutions across the world. Students found copying their course works or assignments are punished accordingly for what has commonly been termed as Academic Plagiarism. Plagiarism, according to the Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, is the imitation of language, ideas or thoughts of another author, representing them as one's own work (Smith, 37). The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of English Language defines plagiarism as "unauthorized use of thoughts and language of others" (McQueen, 508). An English Playwright, Wilson Mizner in his work titled, "Dealing with Plagiarism in Research Institutions," simplifies the concept in a few words, "If you copy from one person, that is plagiarism. If you copy from two, that is research" (Mizner, 88).
Apparently there is still no internationally recognized definition of Plagiarism, as different books, academic institutions and researchers present their own explanations on what is and what is not plagiarism. There is, however, a consensus on some key points. All agree that plagiarism is the theft of others` ideas, and that it is not acceptable in any institution. If I was to add to the long list of definitions, I will define Plagiarism simply as robbery of the intellectual property.
Academic plagiarism is increasingly becoming a worrying trend in the learning and research Institutions. A number of surveys have indicated that better percentage of students is involved in such practices that can possibly be attributed to plagiarism. According to the Center for Academic Integrity, research institution, about 80% of college students are engaged in cheating. Many of such cases have also been cited by the World Reports and US News Agencies. These are manifestations that plagiarism is indeed a major set back in the academic Institutions. In this essay, issues to do with plagiarism are re-addressed, with an attempt to inform, emphasize, discuss and caution.
Borrowing from the works of Davison Kock, Academic Plagiarism may also be termed as academic fraud or academic dishonesty (Kock, 104). Whichever of these terms you prefer to call this offense, you will be pointing at one thing, that is, robbery of the intellectual property. Plagiarism should, however, not be confused with Infringement. Even though the two have close implications, infringement is the violation of a copyright act, while plagiarism is the falsified use of others` ideas (Greif, 35-34). Actually, there is a very lean distinction between plagiarism and infringement, as they all involve an act of dishonesty, not to forget that infringement is a very serious crime sue-able in the court of law. This implies that those who plagiarize other individuals` work are likely to commit a crime of copyright infringement. Such conducts are academically unprofessional, detestable, and not tolerable. They come with consequences, ranging from failing an exam to getting expelled from the institution, not to mention imprisonment.
The repercussions of plagiarism are not limited to the academic and research fields. It is also not allowed in the profession of journalism where it can cost an individual a job. But unlike in journalism where cases of fraudulence are regarded more or less as lack of professional ethics or codes of conduct, plagiarism in the academic institutions is an offense that attracts greater penalties.
Each and every academic faculty has policies, procedures and penalties formulated to deal with students that engage themselves in tarnishing the academic integrity of the institution out of ignorance, otherwise termed as misdemeanor in the United States. There is no excuse for cheating in school. The U.S Institutional penalties for students found cheating in their coursework include exam failure; suspension, and to some extreme cases, a student may get expelled from the institution.
The penalties can get very serious to imagine, inclusive of facing a jail term in the court of law. A report by Muhlenberg College revealed that fines resulting from cases of academic plagiarism ranged between $ 100 and $ 250,000 dollars, with up to a possible ten years imprisonment. Cases of plagiarism that exceed $ 2,500 dollars are considered as felony in the United States, and the victim in such a case is prone to a fine of up to $ 250,000 dollars in the court of law (Kock, 103-98).It is therefore clear that those who do not take plagiarism to be a serious offense risk facing severe penalties and huge fines, not to mention bringing their life careers to a halt.
There could be quit a number of ways that an Instructor can use to tell that a student's work has been plagiarized. According to Wilson Mizner, one of such ways of knowing if a student just copied an assignment, is when the quality of the student's work is far much high beyond the expectations of his lecturer, or if the student is too inconsistent in his/her work (Mizner, 102).Generally, teachers are trained to understand the academic capabilities of the students they teach. A teacher is in a position to tell when a student simply copied an assignment. Unfortunately, this technique of detecting plagiarism through observation proves to be inappropriate in the modern world of digital technology and the Internet.
The digital world has made it so easy for students to engage themselves in plagiarism and just go scout free, courtesy of the internet which provides them with a plethora of written academic materials readily available. New detection mechanisms had to be found to cope up with this new set of challenge.
As much as technology has indispensably played a crucial role in the academic world, it has also brought in enough challenges to the academia. Davison Kock and other researchers posit that digital technology and the World Wide Web have significantly facilitated unfair competition in the academic fraternity. Among such issues that have been brought by technology are pilferage of the intellectual rights, and sluggishness in students (Kock, 42), These are the kind of hurdles that paved way for the development of software like Turnitin, Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Article checker, and jet-checker, to curb the looming scam in the educational institutions. This list of software mentioned here is by no means exhausted.
Turnitin is an online software designed for checking plagiarism. It is an internet-based plagiarism detector designed by iParadigms LLC, and licensed to be used in the Universities, colleges and high schools in tracking down plagiarized materials. But unlike Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Article checker, and many more, Turnitin is a commercial detection software. The users may be prompted to pay for the services. Almost all the detection devices operate based on some common principles. They are easy to use, aided by the friendly Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs).
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers notes that, it is unprofessional to copy something from any printed or digitized source, be it a book, newspaper; magazine or a journal (Gibaldi, 299).The most reprehensible and blatant of them all is copying directly word by word. Such a dishonorable conduct must be avoided by all means. And since copying is not recommended in any academic institution, students are indebted to give credit to all the sources they use in carrying out their assignments, failure to which they are penalized for exercising plagiarism. To avoid this penalty, the following can be done:
Providing a clear list of references, works cited or bibliography of all the sources used in writing a paper. The sources are arranged alphabetically and in accordance with the writing style that has been adhered to by the student. Referencing is a professional way of acknowledging the authors` work. It enables readers to research further and find more information for themselves, and most importantly, it also gives credibility and sense of academic integrity to a student`s work (Gibaldi, 320). Such piece of work is not in any way prone to plagiarism.
The sources given in the reference list must be included in the document. This is referred to as In-text-citation or in-text-referencing. In-text-citations work hand in hand with the References or the Works Cited. Students are sternly advised to write in their own words. Only the ideas can be borrowed from elsewhere, and the owners of those ideas should be accredited appropriately. Paraphrasing is not the best way to go, more so for the lazy students.
CONCLUSION
It is evident that cases of plagiarism have continuously been witnessed in the academic institutions, mostly facilitated by new technological innovations. Fortunately, tools that can be used to deal with this challenge have also been made available in plenty. Talk of Turnitin, Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Eve, the list is long. Students are thus cautioned to refrain from the temptations of engaging in cheating or acts that can be regarded as plagiarism. The consequences can be dire, inclusive of terminating their academic ambitions.
Works Cited
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th Ed. New York. 2003: 320-299.
Greif, Mark. London Review of Books ,Vol. 26. 2004: 34-35.
Kock, Davison. A Case of Academic Plagiarism.Communications of the ACM, 1999: 42-104.
McQueen, Alexander. The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of English Language. 4th Ed. New York. 1997: 508-475.
Mizner, Wilson. Dealing with Plagiarism in Research Institutions.1997: 88-102.
Smith, Stephenson. Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Ed. New York.1996: 48-37
Cases of cheating in schools and colleges are seriously condemned, not only in the United States, but also in the rest of the academic institutions across the world. Students found copying their course works or assignments are punished accordingly for what has commonly been termed as Academic Plagiarism. Plagiarism, according to the Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, is the imitation of language, ideas or thoughts of another author, representing them as one's own work (Smith, 37). The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of English Language defines plagiarism as "unauthorized use of thoughts and language of others" (McQueen, 508). An English Playwright, Wilson Mizner in his work titled, "Dealing with Plagiarism in Research Institutions," simplifies the concept in a few words, "If you copy from one person, that is plagiarism. If you copy from two, that is research" (Mizner, 88).
Apparently there is still no internationally recognized definition of Plagiarism, as different books, academic institutions and researchers present their own explanations on what is and what is not plagiarism. There is, however, a consensus on some key points. All agree that plagiarism is the theft of others` ideas, and that it is not acceptable in any institution. If I was to add to the long list of definitions, I will define Plagiarism simply as robbery of the intellectual property.The Thesis Statement
Academic plagiarism is increasingly becoming a worrying trend in the learning and research Institutions. A number of surveys have indicated that better percentage of students is involved in such practices that can possibly be attributed to plagiarism. According to the Center for Academic Integrity, research institution, about 80% of college students are engaged in cheating. Many of such cases have also been cited by the World Reports and US News Agencies. These are manifestations that plagiarism is indeed a major set back in the academic Institutions. In this essay, issues to do with plagiarism are re-addressed, with an attempt to inform, emphasize, discuss and caution.
Borrowing from the works of Davison Kock, Academic Plagiarism may also be termed as academic fraud or academic dishonesty (Kock, 104). Whichever of these terms you prefer to call this offense, you will be pointing at one thing, that is, robbery of the intellectual property. Plagiarism should, however, not be confused with Infringement. Even though the two have close implications, infringement is the violation of a copyright act, while plagiarism is the falsified use of others` ideas (Greif, 35-34). Actually, there is a very lean distinction between plagiarism and infringement, as they all involve an act of dishonesty, not to forget that infringement is a very serious crime sue-able in the court of law. This implies that those who plagiarize other individuals` work are likely to commit a crime of copyright infringement. Such conducts are academically unprofessional, detestable, and not tolerable. They come with consequences, ranging from failing an exam to getting expelled from the institution, not to mention imprisonment.
The repercussions of plagiarism are not limited to the academic and research fields. It is also not allowed in the profession of journalism where it can cost an individual a job. But unlike in journalism where cases of fraudulence are regarded more or less as lack of professional ethics or codes of conduct, plagiarism in the academic institutions is an offense that attracts greater penalties.
Possible Consequences of Plagiarism
Each and every academic faculty has policies, procedures and penalties formulated to deal with students that engage themselves in tarnishing the academic integrity of the institution out of ignorance, otherwise termed as misdemeanor in the United States. There is no excuse for cheating in school. The U.S Institutional penalties for students found cheating in their coursework include exam failure; suspension, and to some extreme cases, a student may get expelled from the institution.
The penalties can get very serious to imagine, inclusive of facing a jail term in the court of law. A report by Muhlenberg College revealed that fines resulting from cases of academic plagiarism ranged between $ 100 and $ 250,000 dollars, with up to a possible ten years imprisonment. Cases of plagiarism that exceed $ 2,500 dollars are considered as felony in the United States, and the victim in such a case is prone to a fine of up to $ 250,000 dollars in the court of law (Kock, 103-98).It is therefore clear that those who do not take plagiarism to be a serious offense risk facing severe penalties and huge fines, not to mention bringing their life careers to a halt.
Plagiarism Detection Mechanisms
There could be quit a number of ways that an Instructor can use to tell that a student's work has been plagiarized. According to Wilson Mizner, one of such ways of knowing if a student just copied an assignment, is when the quality of the student's work is far much high beyond the expectations of his lecturer, or if the student is too inconsistent in his/her work (Mizner, 102).Generally, teachers are trained to understand the academic capabilities of the students they teach. A teacher is in a position to tell when a student simply copied an assignment. Unfortunately, this technique of detecting plagiarism through observation proves to be inappropriate in the modern world of digital technology and the Internet.
The digital world has made it so easy for students to engage themselves in plagiarism and just go scout free, courtesy of the internet which provides them with a plethora of written academic materials readily available. New detection mechanisms had to be found to cope up with this new set of challenge.
Tools of Trade
As much as technology has indispensably played a crucial role in the academic world, it has also brought in enough challenges to the academia. Davison Kock and other researchers posit that digital technology and the World Wide Web have significantly facilitated unfair competition in the academic fraternity. Among such issues that have been brought by technology are pilferage of the intellectual rights, and sluggishness in students (Kock, 42), These are the kind of hurdles that paved way for the development of software like Turnitin, Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Article checker, and jet-checker, to curb the looming scam in the educational institutions. This list of software mentioned here is by no means exhausted.
Turnitin is an online software designed for checking plagiarism. It is an internet-based plagiarism detector designed by iParadigms LLC, and licensed to be used in the Universities, colleges and high schools in tracking down plagiarized materials. But unlike Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Article checker, and many more, Turnitin is a commercial detection software. The users may be prompted to pay for the services. Almost all the detection devices operate based on some common principles. They are easy to use, aided by the friendly Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs).
Ways of Avoiding Plagiarism
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers notes that, it is unprofessional to copy something from any printed or digitized source, be it a book, newspaper; magazine or a journal (Gibaldi, 299).The most reprehensible and blatant of them all is copying directly word by word. Such a dishonorable conduct must be avoided by all means. And since copying is not recommended in any academic institution, students are indebted to give credit to all the sources they use in carrying out their assignments, failure to which they are penalized for exercising plagiarism. To avoid this penalty, the following can be done:
Providing a clear list of references, works cited or bibliography of all the sources used in writing a paper. The sources are arranged alphabetically and in accordance with the writing style that has been adhered to by the student. Referencing is a professional way of acknowledging the authors` work. It enables readers to research further and find more information for themselves, and most importantly, it also gives credibility and sense of academic integrity to a student`s work (Gibaldi, 320). Such piece of work is not in any way prone to plagiarism.
The sources given in the reference list must be included in the document. This is referred to as In-text-citation or in-text-referencing. In-text-citations work hand in hand with the References or the Works Cited. Students are sternly advised to write in their own words. Only the ideas can be borrowed from elsewhere, and the owners of those ideas should be accredited appropriately. Paraphrasing is not the best way to go, more so for the lazy students.
CONCLUSION
It is evident that cases of plagiarism have continuously been witnessed in the academic institutions, mostly facilitated by new technological innovations. Fortunately, tools that can be used to deal with this challenge have also been made available in plenty. Talk of Turnitin, Copyscape, Duplicate checker, Eve, the list is long. Students are thus cautioned to refrain from the temptations of engaging in cheating or acts that can be regarded as plagiarism. The consequences can be dire, inclusive of terminating their academic ambitions.
Works Cited
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th Ed. New York. 2003: 320-299.
Greif, Mark. London Review of Books ,Vol. 26. 2004: 34-35.
Kock, Davison. A Case of Academic Plagiarism.Communications of the ACM, 1999: 42-104.
McQueen, Alexander. The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of English Language. 4th Ed. New York. 1997: 508-475.
Mizner, Wilson. Dealing with Plagiarism in Research Institutions.1997: 88-102.
Smith, Stephenson. Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Ed. New York.1996: 48-37