Technological Influences on Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a mouse click away.

Technologies like the Internet have a negative influence on students who might be tempted by plagiarism. A student pressured to keep a high GPA will go online to find a quick fix for his writing woes. Many websites offer assignment writing services; others make it easy to download papers. Yet new plagiarizing checker software can also have a positive impact in helping both teachers and students make plagiarism a less viable option.

Plagiarism and Its Definition

To plagiarize is simply defined as " to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own" at Merriam-Webster.com. It is a major issue in academic circles as students will admit to doing it, yet without fully understanding the problem. The first step to preventing plagiarized work is to have clear guidelines for students to follow during the writing process. For example, students can avoid unintentional duplication by using proper research and citation methods.

Plagiarism Detectors

A variety of plagiarism checkers are available online to find copycats.

Once clear guidelines are created by teachers and understood by students, the next step is to implement a system to check for plagiarism. One way is to use a plagiarism checker online software. Students must be made aware that their submitted papers will be going through a screening, and ideally the student will be made a part of this process.

Internet Temptation

The problem with online access to ready-made content is that it becomes easy to download papers when an assignment deadline is approaching. Websites that offer free download papers make the temptation of an easy grade more difficult to resist. Another form of plagiarism is patchwriting, a simple process of copying text then making grammatical alterations. Other substitutions are done quickly with the MS-Word synonym-finder and without the need to acquire or use any writing skills.

Anti-Plagiarism

Anti-plagiarism programs are not motivating student intellect.

A plagiarism detector software is only one way to implement a policy geared against cheating and misrepresented student work. Russell Hunt of St. Thomas University admits that "the institutional structures around grades and certification are challenged" by Internet plagiarism. More importantly, he states that anti-plagiarism institutional programs may be detrimental to student learning. They destroy the student's ability to learn "how the intellectual enterprise of scholarship and research really works," while being able to think independently.

References

• Teacher Tap: Plagiarism and the Internet
• Plagiarism Checkers: 5 Free Websites to Catch The Copycats
• Plagiarism: The Internet and Student Learning--Improving Academic Integrity
• St. Thomas University: Four Reasons to be Happy about Internet Plagiarism
• The Writing Place, Northwestern University: Avoiding Plagiarism

Resources

• "The Pedagogy of the Oppressed"; Paolo Freire; 1974
• Search Engine Reports: Plagiarism Checker