Jeanette MCElroy
Sylvia Edwards
English 102
Plagiarism
Day to day teachers face the ever present issue of plagiarism from the Internet. Although it seems as if a teacher can do little to stop plagiarism, teachers have a variety of weapons at hand for fighting it that they may not know about. With these weapons teachers have the upper hand in preventing and discouraging plagiarism. Some of the weapons include knowledge, teaching students to use papers on the Internet to their advantage, as well as being specific about assignments.
Knowledge is the first step in fighting plagiarism. Bruce Leland, author of Plagiarism and the Web suggests that teachers should, “Let students know that you know about these websites. Then do actually check some of them out. Students will be less likely to submit a paper that they know you may have seen on the web.” By informing students that they have knowledge of these sites, teachers will have an advantage. Another form of knowledge that teachers can use, as a weapon against plagiarism, is letting the students know it is a crime. According to Dawn and Raymond Rodriguez, “If you use someone’s words without giving that person credit, you are guilty of plagiarism.” Plagiarism does not just include written words; it also encompasses intellectual property. Anything a person uses that is not their own, and fails to give credit for is copyright infringement. According to Iowa State University, “Copyright protection extends to all forms of intellectual property and exists as soon as the work is put into a fixed form.” This means that whenever a student uses information they have found somewhere other than their own knowledge, it must be credited. By teaching the students that plagiarism is a crime and that the teacher has the knowledge of where the information can be found, the use of plagiarism may be less likely to occur.
Another weapon that teachers have against plagiarism is the ability to teach their students to use the papers on the Internet to their advantage. A teacher can kill two birds with one stone by actually taking students to the sites that offer papers and showing them why the papers are not worth using. Bruce Leland offers that a teacher should “Have students look at a weak paper and analyze its failures. They will learn something about writing and also see that what’s available for downloading may not impress their teacher.” A teacher can show students why using a paper from the Internet may not be as easy as they think. Not only is plagiarism not worth a students time, it also is considered unethical. Few people condone the act. Most teachers feel as Leah Edens, a high school teacher, does. “Plagiarism is for the weak and unimaginative. There is no skill or thought behind this kind of thievery,” she stated on the subject of plagiarism.
One more way a teacher can prevent plagiarism is by giving specific assignments. The more information the student is required to have, the less likely they are to find a paper on the Internet that matches those requirements. For example, instead of asking a student to write a paper on the rainforest, ask them to write about the destruction of the rainforest and ways it can be stopped. By doing this, teachers will see less plagiarized papers. Another way to steer students away from the temptation to plagiarism is to let them write about subjects that interest them. A student will be into writing the paper more if what they are writing about is their choice. By giving specific assignments and allowing students to choose their subjects, teachers will see less and less of plagiarism in their students’ papers.
Plagiarism will continue to plague teachers for many years and may increase with the growth of technology. But with the weapons teachers have to use in their favor, plagiarism may be slowed down. The more teachers inform their students about plagiarism and their knowledge of how it works, the less likely it will be that students will resort to it.