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While plagiarism is not a new problem, access to Web-based sources makes copying information and purchasing pre-written papers easy for students. Some studies have reported that plagiarism may be committed by as many as 75% of undergraduates, however, only 25% of students admit to plagiarizing. This discrepancy can be partially attributed to the fact that many students are not aware of what constitutes plagiarism. In a recent study published in Psychological Record, 65% of students were unable to detect plagiarism when presented with original and paraphrased text. Many students are never taught what is involved in plagiarism or why it is important to attribute ideas. For these students plagiarism is usually unintentional. Some students are aware that plagiarism is unacceptable and choose to commit that offense regardless of the consequences. These students understand that there is a low probability that they will be caught if they extract short sections of writing from many sources and incorporate them into their own assignments. These students may have low grade point averages and feel they have little to lose, or they may be lazy and realize it is easier to copy and paste than research and write. Finally, some students download or purchase complete pre-written essays and research papers off the Web. These students may have no confidence in their writing ability or they procrastinate until the last minute. This type of plagiarism is the easiest to detect. Contents: |
