Introduction
Has the advent of the Internet spawned a new generation of plagiarizers? According to Of Monsters, Muggles and Pink Monkeys: The Crisis of Plagiarism in Academia: "A study conducted by Don McCade, a University of Rutgers Professor, concluded that "nearly 40% of college students have plagiarized papers by the cut-and-paste function on their computers to lift text off the internet" (Heyboer)." In the United Kingdom "An article in London's Daily Mail claims that in the United Kingdom as many as 30 to 35 percent of student assignments "are cribbed at least in part, from essay banks and fellow students' work" (Grant)." And in Australia; "An August 2002 report by Larissa Dubecki observes that of 1000 university students surveyed from four Australian universities, 41% admitted cheating on tests, while 86% of males and 77% of females admitted to committing some form of plagiarism ( http://www.theage.com.au/). (Hayden, 2005) As one can see the problem is worldwide.
With the vast amount of information on the internet and the creation of web logs called blogs people's poems, thoughts, even research papers can be downloaded or copied and taken credit for by anyone with an internet connection and the need to hand in an assignment for school. Libraries and authors have made their publications available for download and viewable on the net. Students simply cut and paste or hit the print button, change a few names and claim the work there own. Students copy and paste quotes and information with no thought to giving credit or with no real understanding of copyrights and intellectual property.
Researching internet plagiarism has uncovered a profitable business and a student population that either is unaware of or chooses to ignore the consequences of plagiarizing from the internet. Many do not think copy and pasting information from the net is harmful, they see this information as public domain. Many have made plagiarism and cheating a business by selling term, research, and essay papers to students who do not want to do the work. Many think if the information is not in a book then they are not plagiarizing. They are wrong.
Before one delves into this topic, and so that everyone is on the same page, let us define what constitutes plagiarism. Webster's New World Dictionary and Thesaurus (second edition) gives us this definition: "Plagiarize - To take (ideas and writings) from (another) and pass them off as one's own; Plagiarism - literary theft, forgery, fraud."
Why plagiarism?
Now that one has established what plagiarism is or at least what the definition of plagiarism is, does one honestly think children are thinking what they are doing is "Theft," "Forgery," or "Fraud?"
Internet plagiarism is an epidemic sweeping through school systems around the world. Student's are taking information off the internet and using it to get by in their classes in an unethical manner. Plagiarism is, in fact, a crime against humanity and education. It can come in many forms, plagiarizing stories, music, works of literature, and general information.
Adults, not just children's, lack of respect for the English language has created a generation that is being inadvertently unethical when it comes to both the written and verbal word.
How many times have adults used a phrase or words out of context or written an email or report which begs the question, "how did that person graduate from college?"
The situation is such that one would have to forget everything one has learned to understand how this generation writes (communicates) with each other. For those who have children, to sit down and watch them text or email one another is nothing short of amazing. One would think they were speaking a foreign language. Is this their fault? Cell phone companies spend millions of dollars every year promoting this type of communication. One has to admit the commercials are cute, but damaging. Do parents set the bar high enough for their children so they know that plagiarism is a crime, just as stealing an item from a store would be?
No one can deny that our nation is made up of people trying to rationalize their behaviors; trying to separate what one considers serious crimes versus crimes considered trivial i.e. crimes that should not even be classified as crimes or the "victim-less crimes." Example: Some people, (both male and female), who cheat on their spouses, do not think they are doing anything wrong. They rationalize their act by saying, "No one is getting hurt, my duties at home are still completed, my children are still provided for, my wife/husband is very happy, our family trips are wonderful, so what is the big deal if a person cheats every now and then?" Similarly, one could ask "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, did it really fall?"
Parents are likely to teach children what "They" feel is a crime, rather than what is one. Therefore, the seeds of plagiarism start to sprout. A question that everyone should ask himself or herself is: "Can one inadvertently be contributing to how this generation views cheating?"
A person would think that if one were to ask the average "Joe" to define what is "cheating" they would get a very ambiguous definition. In turn, that person would be asked to define what they meant by cheating. Most people consider cheating as a "Means to an End" i.e.: "English Literate is just a prerequisite, so one would not need to put forth a great deal of effort in order to satisfy the requirement." After all, in the grand scheme of things how is writing a paper on Edgar Allen Poe going to help as person to be a better doctor, lawyer, accountant. The questions that most people ask themselves before doing anything they consider illegal are: is this going to hurt anybody, what are the chances of getting caught, what are the penalties for getting caught, does the risk outweigh the reward? Right, wrong or indifferent, children grow up with a sense of what is ethical from their parents. Since they do not feel plagiarism is a serious crime, or illegal for that fact; they, in many instances, neglect to ask themselves the aforementioned questions listed above. Of course, this is not a blanket statement and some students do realize that what they are doing is illegal, but they are in the minority. How many parents cheat on his or her taxes, take supplies home from the office, drink and drive, tell a lie rather then having to admit they are wrong? How does one think the phrase "a little white lie" originated? In our society, the message is, "cheating is only cheating if you get caught." To make matters worse, when one does get caught, the penalties are not severe enough to deter the next person from trying the same thing.
A fundamental problem exists when students do not think plagiarism is wrong. "In fact, 38% of the undergraduate students surveyed" (NY Times, 2008) said "that in the last year they had engaged in one or more instances of "cut and paste" plagiarism involving the Internet. Only 10% of students had acknowledged such cheating in a similar, but much smaller survey three years ago."
The studies conducted by Bower, McCabe, Trevino and Butterfield stated, "With few exceptions, the thrust of this research has centered on one of the most basic ethical decisions faced by college students -to cheat or not to cheat on their academic work. With increasing competition for the most desired positions in the job market and for the few, coveted places available at the nation's leading business, law, and medical schools, today's undergraduates experience considerable pressure to do well. Research shows that all too often, these pressures lead to decisions to engage in various forms of academic dishonesty." (Bower, 1964; McCabe, Trevino, and Butterfield, 1999). In addition, McCabe, Nuss and Singhal said, "Research also shows that these transgressions are often overlooked or treated lightly by faculty who do not want to become involved in what they perceive as, the bureaucratic procedures designed to adjudicate allegations of academic dishonesty on their campus." (McCabe, 1993; Nuss, 1984; Singhal, 1982). "Is our nation enabling the current generation?" Are people willing to look the other way and justify to themselves that in the grand scheme of things, cheating is not a big deal?
Cheating and Plagiarism: a lucrative Business.
Cheating made easy via the internet; which is becoming extremely easy for students to do because of companies out there tailored for this particular purpose. These companies will write a student's research, essay paper, and dissertations for a nominal fee of course. All they have to do is tell them exactly what they need the paper to entail such as the topic, number of pages, what format (APA), how many cited sources, and any comments one may feel is necessary for the writer of the paper. In addition, they must include how they would like to have their paper delivered. Once the delivery method has been established and payment has been made the requested paper will be delivered to them within a few days. Many companies include the following disclosure: "All custom essays written by Essay Experts are meant for research purposes only and not meant for submission in whole, or in part, for academic credit." (Vincze-Ainsworth, 2006) Nonetheless, one knows what the purchased essay paper will be used for. "Welcome to the modern age of cheating at university." (Vincze-Ainsworth, 2006).
Moreover, companies such as Essay -Paper .net and Paper masters are in business to sell term papers, book reports, essays, research, and dissertation papers to cheating students. The average cost for an undergrad paper will cost around $19.95 per page and a graduate paper will cost an average of $24.95 both prices are based on receiving a paper in four days. If one would like to have a paper written in less than four days the price is roughly 12% more. This isn't bad to have a paper delivered to one's specification in less than four days. Other companies are out there who will write one's paper for less such as Custom Writing. They'll write one's paper for $15 per page undergrad and $20 per page graduate with a delivery in two weeks. All companies claim to have professional writers on staff to write custom non-plagiarized papers. They also claim their papers are 100% guaranteed. If one isn't satisfied with their paper they can return the paper for a full refund. As a safe guard they'll hold an individuals paper in their databases for a month. Just in case one should lose his or her papers. After a month's time the paper will be discarded to prevent one for using the same paper for another customer. By companies guaranteeing 100% satisfaction and promises of delivering a newly written, non-plagiarize paper it provides students with a sense that they are getting out of doing their work themselves. This will allow more time for partying or whatever they feel is more important than writing the paper themselves.
How could one stop the alarming rise of plagiarism in the university? If faculty would stress the importance of the honor code to their students by letting them know cheating comes with heavy consequences such as receiving a failing grade for the course and possible expulsion. "Having it reiterated that plagiarism will not be tolerated." (Thompson, 2006) Students who understand that plagiarism will be met with severe consequences, according to Scanlon and Neumann (2002), tend to avoid doing it. "Whether a college or university community signals its disapproval convincingly, McCabe and Trevino (1996) asserted, will also play a huge role if plagiarism continues." "The most effective discouragement of cheating for students is that peers around them aren't doing it." Gerdeman's (2002)
Students normally take information off of the internet in a "copy & paste" manner. They believe this is an easier route to finishing a paper for class than to do it themselves. While easier, to plagiarize the fact remains, that one is cheating by stealing the original author's dedicated work. Students believe they have the right to use any and all information available to the point of plagiarism, and this is wrong. Students need to be taught they will learn nothing if they plagiarize a person's work.
How can plagiarism and cheating be stopped?
Most people believe that something cannot be a crime without someone or something getting hurt or damaged. This is not true. They believe that plagiarism doesn't hurt anyone at all and does no damage. Students feel they are the victims if they are punished in any way for plagiarizing information. However, students are affected greatly by this crime. They hurt themselves. It shows that the person can't take initiative to complete assignments alone and is inept at learning. While this may not be true of the actual person, it portrays them as such. This causes them to hinder themselves in the learning process and causes others around them to view them as cheaters and liars. This can affect a person emotionally and socially in a variety of ways.
Our current state as a nation leaves too much room open for debate. Too many a time has another person tried to defend themselves when they do something wrong. All they try to do is escape repercussions and not take responsibility for their actions obviously as a whole; our country teaches children at an early age to figure out ways to escape trouble. Everyone needs to be taught to take responsibility for his or her own actions. Is it better to be thought a liar and cheater than to just do something with one's own knowledge?
This discussion can also bring up the question: How far can someone go before being considered plagiarism? This could easily be a very broad gray area. In fact, plagiarism is the theft of one's ideas and using them as your own. Obviously, if a student does research on a project and includes several blocks of information they had found online but still conveyed what they learned in their own words, they are not plagiarizing. However, if a student takes something offline and they rearrange the words to fit their assignment that is blatant plagiarism. The individual should assess how much information is to be used from his or her sources, and if they use that information their own views should outweigh the acquired material.
Students commonly refer to plagiarism as a way to escape work they don't think they need. This is apparent throughout children in this generation. Let's assume a student is a mathematical genius. They wouldn't care about a history paper on the French Revolution. They would most likely plagiarize the material because they feel they don't need to know too much about it. This route will lead that student to failure. Who knows? A week later, that history teacher could give out a test that is worth half of their history grade on the French Revolution. That person is now in deep trouble because they haven't learned anything about it. Now, let's say they are a senior and plan to go to a college excelling in mathematics. Now their history grade is history. Now they can't enter into the college due to their lack of general knowledge. This shows that plagiarism creates a butterfly effect in a student's learning. Now, instead of merely receiving a zero on their paper, their plans are changed for the worse, and they are now viewed as lazy and a cheater. Now that student is emotionally distressed as well as a social outcast because they didn't take an hour to research and write their own paper on the French Revolution.
Student need to be taught both at home and in the classroom how plagiarism is a crime that affects the one person most important to them, themselves.
Conclusion
Plagiarism or Copyright Infringement: Coaching in Writing for the Internet "When you plagiarize, you ultimately cheat yourself." (Dunn, S. 207) So where does all this research lead to conclude? More needs to be done in way of educating students, adults, and educational professionals in what constitutes cheating, plagiarizing, and copyright infringement, what constitutes public domain and intellectual property. Universities, particularly those online have introduced classes and course on internet protocols and the proper ways to cite references and give proper credit. Still though students younger than the university level are cheating and plagiarism, such courses need to be taught in elementary and secondary school systems. There also needs to be stauncher rules and regulations to punished cheaters, plagiarizers and violators of copyright.
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