How Plagiarism Affects Students

Plagiarism can have far-reaching effects on students.

Purdue University's Online Writing Lab defines plagiarism as the "uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of somebody else's words or ideas." Either by accident or on purpose, plagiarism cases have risen in the Internet age. Some students see it as harmless. Others understand the moral implications yet still use the practice as a method to gain a competitive edge. Whatever students' reasons are for plagiarizing, several effects result from the practice.

Detection

While the Internet has made it easier to plagiarize, it has also made it easier to detect plagiarism. Two popular plagiarism detection tools are Turnitin and SafeAssign. Turnitin is used by over 8,500 institutions in over 110 countries. Blackboard, an online learning platform used by millions of students and educators, uses SafeAssign as a module built in at no extra charge. Even without plagiarism software, instructors can easily type suspicious passages into search engines and find matches.

Grades

At almost all institutions, students' grades will suffer from plagiarism. Instructors typically assign an F to a plagiarized document, and many instructors fail the student for the course.

Suspension

Another common practice, especially at the post-secondary level, is to suspend students for the semester in which they are caught plagiarizing. Some schools even go as far as expelling the student permanently.

Financial Aid

Continued receipt of federal financial aid is based upon a certain percentage of successfully completed course work. Students who receive F's or who are suspended for entire semesters will likely be affected in financial aid eligibility. Private scholarship eligibility could also be affected.

Reputation

Schools maintain student records, and instructors share information informally. Students who are caught plagiarizing may develop reputations as cheaters. Teachers will likely scrutinize students with reputations more carefully than other students.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Turnitin: 7 Things Educators Should Know About Turnitin