A Correlation Between Plagiarism and the Internet

Plagiarism can be described as a form of academic dishonesty. It is a concept that has been around for many years though it can be foreign to some. Plagiarism is a product of laziness. As a student, you are expected to follow a code of conduct; the code of conduct includes academic honesty. We are to submit original works and avoid claiming others’ words and ideas as our own. For some, breaking the trust instilled into the contract signed as they became pupils in the academic world is not seen as an issue. Although for those with academic honesty, it becomes a moral turmoil.

The internet and all its access has become a downfall for academia. The accessibility of the internet with an array of subjects has paved the way for those in an academic environment who lack drive, critical thinking skills, and feel the pressure to obtain good grades, to simply skate by with plagiarized works. Plagiarism can’t be eradicated, but taking stronger preventative measures to ensure it can be regulated is a step in the right direction. Work, academics, time and responsibility take a toll on students. Individuals attempting to succeed in an effort to better their situation use tools easily accessible to them such as the internet. Due to the fast paced stressful lives of most students, students search the internet seeking help or shortcuts in completing assignments. Chace says “ Illicit resources such as the writings of others, all easily acquired by a few keyboard strokes in the privacy of one’s room.”

They will choose the convenience of having their work done with a click of a button over having to draft something that will take time in completing. Furthermore, students lacking the motivation to finish their given assignment will choose to plagiarize as their way out. With busy schedules, the ability to multitask a crucial skill students must master. Finding a balance between school, work or any other extracurricular activities may seem hard to achieve. Having to find the time to do their assignments might create anxiety making them feel pressured to cheat. A person who has never done so before might be tempted to do so. Working on a written assignment is time consuming, which many try to avoid therefore having the temptation to plagiarize risking their grade. The lack of preparation that is taken into account can often lead to failure. Gabriel states “ writing is difficult and doing it well takes time and practice.”

Time is of the essence, meaning the students should take the time to carefully plan out the assignment leaving room for corrections that may be needed. If done correctly, they should not worry about forging their work to complete their assignment on time. When they start to notice that time is running out, they tend to become in a frenzied mode asking themselves, however, will they finish the assignment on time. Having no outline or plan whatsoever results in finishing the task using unethical ways. The ability to use critical thinking skills is crucial to the writing process. It is embedded into the concept of writing. A person must be able to dissect the information given to analyze and write on the focused subject. This is a skill that many seem to lack due to the fact that they are not being taught correctly. Gabriel notes that “If you’re taught how to closely read sources and synthesize them into your own original argument in middle school and high school, you’re not going to be tempted to plagiarize in college, and you certainly won’t do so unknowingly.”

Learning these skills in high school gives students the ability to hone in and practice for the rigorous tasks of college writing. For some students they may find that their professor does not spend an adequate amount of time explaining what they expect out of their assignments and very little attention is given into correcting the assignment. Chase states “For the increasing number of adjunct professors, vigilance about cheating could put their professional future at risk. They could earn an unappealing tag : “high maintenance,” And some teachers have concluded that the only person hurt by cheating is the cheater, so they wash their hands of the entire business.”

Students could possibly feel that since the professor will not take the time into checking every task for plagiarism, they can do so without being caught because it takes too much effort on their part, especially if they are on a non-tenure track.Since students are usually unprepared and do not fully grasp what is expected from them, they feel the need to want to submit perfection. Oftentimes they will feel that what they are writing is not good enough without the help of the internet, hence feeling the need to copy and paste. They have become reliant on using others' work as their own that they cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to complete their work without feeling the need to use the web as a “guidance form.” The concepts of originality and creativity no longer exist mainly because people tend to bounce ideas off of one another not really creating new ideas but expanding on those same ideas. Gabriel states “ it is a disconnect that is growing in the internet age as concepts of intellectual property, copyright and originality are under assault in the exchange of online information.”

Using the internet, one can find millions of information on the same topic which creates the dilemma of one trying to be original and authentic. Though when the point they are wanting to get across has already been thought of before, it is difficult for them to create something new and fresh, thus bringing the concept of plagiarism back into effect. The pressures of obtaining good grades often consumes the thoughts of students. They feel the pressures from family and themselves to achieve the best grades possible. Chace notes that “Some students cheat because of pressures to succeed in a competitive world.”

For many, achieving good grades is seen as an accessory worn on their resume making them look polished. Whether it may be for academic reasons, meaning they wish to continue on with their education, or for personal reasons such as graduating and impressing prospective employers. Family is a contributing factor to students feeling pressured to do well. Many are often first time college students. For some, being a first time college student is not something they take for granted, especially because they don’t want to let their family down. They want to exceed their expectations upon them. These students see their education on more of a broader spectrum. They are not only doing this for themselves but also for their families. Most of these families have sacrificed a lot in order for their children to have a better life and also a better education than they have had.Being a first time college student myself, I often find myself dealing with the same pressures as well. Constantly feeling like I can’t fail because my parents have put in so much effort in my education. The weight you carry on your shoulders with time can be a lot to handle. You want to be able to do well in school so that one day you can help provide for your family as they did the same for you. In a case like mine, I see it not only as I’m graduating for myself, but also for my family. That kind of pressure can start taking a toll on you. On the other hand, there are a few whose parents offer incentives to obtain good grades and graduation. I have had friends tell me about what they are expecting to receive upon graduating. Many of the items they are eagerly expecting are mainly materialistic and items they would not normally buy for themselves. This is not necessarily a problem because it can make the student more motivated to work harder than they have been; although the temptation to plagiarize may still be in the back of their head. Students may seize this as an opportunity to actually stay focused and learn because they know they will be reaping the reward afterwards.

Plagiarism has become a hindrance amongst the student population. Although some teachers know the student is plagiarizing, they will try to sweep it under the rug and ignore it because it can be time consuming to bring it up. The idea of bringing plagiarism to an end is not a possibility but a person can take preventative measures. Whilst doing so, it can become more controlled. With the advancement of technology professors seek out those using plagiarized works. And can now cross references the assignments being turned in. Websites can be utilized to help in detecting copied work. Chace’s solution to help improve the problem of plagiarism is mainly about using websites that can virtually scan an individual’s paper to see if it contains another’s work. He states “ Internet sites such as TURNITIN, to which students and teachers can submit student work to see if it contains material from essays already on electronic file, could be employed by more and more teachers to track down those who misuse the material.” Chace also mentions that having professors enforce disciplinary actions may also be a factor in helping to solve the issue. If a student being caught is reprimanded, it may lead them to think twice about doing the deed once again. Although I do agree with his solutions, I feel as if they only work after the fact the student has submitted an assignment.

Along with his solutions, I believe that there are different alternatives that may prevent plagiarism before anything is turned in. Requiring that students utilize more recent research sources. Doing so may stop students who are enticed to utilize older works since it is all the more difficult to find papers with sources that are sufficiently recent and relate to the task.Furthermore, another method could be for professors to request that students keep a detailed notebook to record each stage of the writing process. Doing so, the professor can view the students' work as it develops. This way professors can note if there is a significant difference and students are more susceptible to be more honest. Also, professors should not hand out the same assignment year after year. Students may take advantage of this situation if they have friends who have taken the same class before and see this as an opportunity to use previous work as a way to complete their current assignment.Additionally, professors can require that the source work needed for the assignment be more recent, perhaps sources within the last couple of years. This will limit the amount of other works that they may find to use as their own.

As the internet has grown into the huge platform it is today, so have the issues of plagiarism within the educational world. Regardless of numerous attempts to remove plagiarism throughout campuses, it reappears and usually stronger than the last time. Plagiarism is undoubtedly the most common way for a student to doubt their integrity although many will still believe there is nothing ethically wrong with doing so. Students have been accustomed to having the constant reassurance of using the web as a main source for their work. Being able to brainstorm concepts using creative skills that are original to themselves are important for the ability to write a well-rounded paper. Apart from teaching students these needed skills preparing them for, motivation is key to ensure students are being innovative in order to create non plagiarized work.