Instructor:
Institution:
Date:
Plagiarism
Plagiarism can be defined as the misappropriation of other people works, words or ideas and presenting them as your original work (http://plagiarism.org).Plagiarism has been on the rise in recent times especially in institutions of learning. As a result of this, plagiarism is now considered an immoral act as it is an academic dishonesty and as result stern action are taken on students who engage in plagiarism. The reason why it is regarded as an academic dishonesty is because many students acquire college degrees and the recognition of their work which in the real sense is not even their original works. Plagiarism discourages innovations, and inventions in the field of research and other study areas and therefore this practice should be discouraged at all cost when one is doing the research on a given field of study. A study by center for academic integrity found that almost 80 percent of college students admit of cheating at least once. Examples of instances where plagiarism arises are: using other’s work as your original; using other people works without proper citation; incorrect citation of sources and imitating other person ideas plagiarism can either intentional or unintentional (Cornell University Library). This paper tries to define what plagiarism is, how to avoid and the various implications it has on students.
How to avoid plagiarism
Students can avoid plagiarism by use of any of the following ways: using writing assignment designs to mitigate plagiarism. This is because these designs require proper citation of sources (Heckler et al 96)
Detecting tools
The other way of avoiding plagiarism is by use of plagiarism detecting tools. These are programs that have been built with the main objective being to detect plagiarized work. These programs can be easily accessed online such as; Gramarly, Turnitin which is produced by iParadigms and also Essay Verification Engine. (Gilmore 53)
Paraphrasing and use of quotations
Plagiarism can also be avoided by proper paraphrasing. Paraphrasing refers to use of your own words while at the same time retaining the intended meaning of words and ideas as the original work, and at the same time maintain the same form of citation. The use of quotation also helps in avoiding plagiarism as this gives recognition to the original work one is relying upon since quotation requires the use of exact words as the original work. (Olsher)
Implications of plagiarism on students
Academic implications
Students who engage in plagiarism carry certain risks such as: expulsion from learning institutions, this usually happens where a student is fond of submitting work as his original piece while in the real sense it is not his. Certain countries have devised tariffs with an aim of countering plagiarism. Students who are found to have plagiarized their work risk their degree being revoked which would mean that their time in college was all for nothing. Revocation of degrees would lead to loss of reputation of the students making it difficult for them to be trusted with other people’s work. Plagiarism also hinders academic progression as it impairs creativity and innovation among the students therefore leading to loss of value of education (Olsher)
Legal aspect Since plagiarism entails the use of other persons work without proper authority it amounts intellectual property theft, which in almost every country is a criminal offense punishable by law. Therefore students engaging in plagiarism risk being imprisoned as a result of their actions.
Conclusion
In conclusion therefore plagiarism carries negative impact both on the students as it hinders creation of new ideas and also on education, this is due to the fact that certain academic achievements have been attained through plagiarism. For these reasons plagiarism should be eradicated at all means and by all means possible. This paper has examined how to avoid plagiarism and its negative effects on students.
Work cited
Cornell University Library. “What constitutes plagiarism?” Cornell University Library, n.d. Web 15 January 2013 <http://guides.library.cornell.edu/content.php?pid=343769&sid=2811430>
Gilmore, Barry Plagiarism: why it happens, how to prevent it. 2 Tennessee: Heinemann 2008. Print
Nina, Heckler. David, Forde, and Hobson, Bryan: “Using writing assignment designs to mitigate plagiarism.” Teaching sociology vol. 41, 1 (2013); 94-105 .print
Olsher, Dean. “Year in Review: Beyond Plagiarism” Chicago Tribune, 16 Dec 2012. Web. 15 January 2013
“What is plagiarism” n.p, n.d. Web. 15 January 2013 <http://plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism>
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
There are methods that should be learned for avoiding plagiarism within the school. Plagiarism should be avoided at all costs in every paper you write. Make sure you are always giving authors credit where due. Instructors can check for plagiarism very easily, and even unintentional plagiarism can be cause for expulsion.…
- 367 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
There are many forms of plagiarism. The common factor between all forms of plagiarism is that they are all illegal and unethical. Plagiarism is the practice of taking another’s work or idea and presenting it as one’s own. A simple definition but with very complex consequences, plagiarism can affect one’s life and cause unnecessary damage to one’s reputation. This damage can be easily avoided by simply doing one’s own work. The effort saved by committing plagiarism is not worth the damage with which one is left. One must choose borrowed information carefully and practice even more care to ensure that proper credit is given to the original creator.…
- 560 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
There are few ways you can avoid plagiarism. One way is to be honest to submit your own work and not someone else’s. Another way is to ensure you are giving credit to the resources you have used to gather and state your facts. If you properly post your citations, references and paraphrases this will help you in a huge way. Another way is to ensure the information you are using for your facts are also accurate and provide by a reliable sources. Ensure the information you are basing your paper is an accredited institution.…
- 328 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Plagiarism can be defined as using others published ideas or words and representing them as original (Bird, Sivilotti, 2008).Although plagiarism is not a new issue it has grown it the past few years due the increase use of technology. Plagiarism is one of the most challenging problems facing education (Shenton, 2010). This being due to the escalated amount of material found on the internet with ease and quickly implement into one’s own document (Shenton, 2010). In today’s age plagiarism is more accepted in between students. Most students fail to grasp the concept of properly acknowledging the information from its original source; which they also tend to believe any information found on the internet is free to use (Shenton, 2010). One can argue that there’s has been a value shift which can be questioned, due to the increase in the legitimacy of cheating and plagiarism among college students (Gross, 2011). Research recently done in 2009 states that a shift justifying cheating and plagiarism has been replacing the traditional view of cheating and plagiarism being unethical (Gross, 2011). It seems as university administration are not as aware in this shift as some researchers, although the attention is focused on how to solve this problem cheating continues to increase (Gross, 2011).In another case several students were questioned about their decision making when it comes to plagiarizing: Some said it easy to do; they are confident they won’t get caught or just out of laziness; or they view the assignment as a waste of time or even if they don’t understand the class or topic (Power, 2009). While most students had been told by a professor not to plagiarize; most students themselves did not know how to apply it (Power, 2009). Some students view plagiarizing as a minor offense (Power, 2009). Plagiarism can be explored through many avenues with more students viewing plagiarism and cheating as more acceptable maybe this…
- 590 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Plagiarism according to Perrin, Larkham, and Culwin (see Okoro 2011, p.174) is simply explained as the use of someone else’s intellectual property without proper acknowledgement of that source. It is in its own way a form of ‘theft’. According to Okoro (2011), plagiarism is known to occur for various reasons, carelessness being in the forefront. His research shows that 90% of students know they are plagiarizing but do so anyway because they consider it to be a lesser ethical crime than other high profile instances of dishonesty. Other causes may include ignorance of students who are not completely aware of what plagiarism constitutes and have not really been educated on the proper ways of acknowledging their sources. Research by Scanlon and Neumann (see Okoro (2011), p. 176) Shows that majority of students actually know that plagiarism in all its forms is wrong. When asked, Over 80% of them responded positively against plagiarism, saying that it is completely unacceptable. In practice however (Walker 2010) majority of these students are found to plagiarize. The majorities of such groups are found to be international students whom English is not their first language and therefore find it difficult to express themselves in English and result to the easy way out: copying. Text matching software to some extent is quite good at pointing out instances of plagiarism but at the same time it is highly limited by the extent to which it can enter into databases such as…
- 1110 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
“All three forms of plagiarism are extremely unethical” Griffin says. But student can avoid plagiarizing in a number of ways. Firstly, is to make sure that they reference properly. Every idea, every concept, and every quotation is cited with the surname of the author, and the date of publication. Or for quotation a page number. So that it’s very clear that that is the source of that idea and student can block off any perceived or potential plagiarism by very clearly citing. ( Griffin,…
- 550 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays -
According to Lowe & Dougherty (2014), intentional plagiarism typically stems from fear of failure, poor planning/time management skills, or viewing the course material and the consequences of cheating as unimportant. Unintentional plagiarism is usually caused by a lack of understanding the use of proper citations when attempting to integrate ideas. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to learn the appropriate use of citations and the proper format for references. Understanding the difference between using someone else’s words in a direct quote and paraphrasing is important, as each method requires the information to be cited differently. Aside from learning the appropriate use of citations and references, it is necessary to understand the importance of course materials and the seriousness of the consequences for cheating. Learning proper time management skills will also help students to remain vigilant when citing sources used to support the information being…
- 1184 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Lastly, the essay “Curing Plagiarism” by Hetal Shah provides an insightful view of plagiarism in colleges and universities nationwide. Though out the opening of the essay Shah provides data to confirm the plagiarism epidemic. Regardless of the high percentage of students…
- 820 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Plagiarism is a widely growing epidemic in today’s world, from school to the corporate workplace. With the risks and consequences associated with plagiarism, it is confusing as to why so many people take the chance.…
- 423 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
A few good ways to prevent plagiarism are Keeping your notes, drafts, and revisions throughout the writing. As you revise and edit your essay, double check your quotations for accuracy and your paraphrases. Also Keep a hard copy of all of your sources. As you insert sources into your essay, you need to cite them. Do not plan to go back and cite your sources later because you may forget and this will cause a plagiarism problem. If you are not sure ask an instructor or a writing center tutor to take a brief look at your writing. Most times a second view can be very…
- 435 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Plagiarism is a serious offense that can be avoided by properly citing sources and giving credit to other works for contributing ideas and words. The serious consequences involved for academic misconduct can be avoided if properly cited quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing are…
- 377 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Plagiarism has happened too often in the educational setting because the main form of research is the internet, which not always provides reliable sources. Therefore, it has become a pressing concern and could lead to losses in the academic career specially when the student does not have enough instruction or ethics to write his/her academic papers.…
- 128 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
To know that plagiarism is not just the act of cheating or using someone elses work as original information, but that any information presented as original, without citation, improper citation, improper paraphrasing, lack of quotations when quoting, under citing, or failure to properly express and incorporate someone elses idea; are all forms of plagiarism (Plagiarism Prevention for Students, 2008). To evade plagiarism, it is important to plan the paper, take effective notes (Preventing Plagiarism When Writing, 2012, para. 3), use “author-date” format when using APA in text citing (OWL, 2012) and proof read a final draft, to circumvent careless errors. Follow these guidelines and those outlined within this text to encourage better writing skills, which in time births better…
- 1425 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
These are a few precise steps you can take to avoid un-intentional plagiarism. Write what you know this will allow you to write your paper with as little research as possible. Try to add any personal experiences you may have that pertain to your writing. By doing this you are obviously writing using your own words because they are of your own personal experience. Take a short break after reading your research material this will allow you to think about what you have read and put it into your own words. Sometimes you may want to read your paper aloud as you write so you know what you are writing makes sense and will be easy for the reader to understand. Most importantly quote and cite whenever it is necessary. If you are struggling to put something in your own words instead of taking all day to figure it out simply use quotation…
- 689 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
be adopted to avoid plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism the following steps and strategies can be enforced. One excellent strategy to prevent plagiarism is using website like this to check work that you write “http://www.grammarly.com/?q=plagiarism&gclid=CNHFrJKyrbICFfBUpgodimEATQ”. The website checks your words against other documents in the world to make sure that you have not just copied and paste another persons words to gain from, it also can find gamma errors and…
- 2059 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays