Do you know that plagiarism is the number one reason that students are penalized when it comes to academic writing? But what is plagiarism, and why is it so offensive? The simple reason is that it is unethical and a violation of intellectual property rights. Plagiarism refers to the practice of taking someone else’s ideas and passing them off as your own. In this way, you commit an offense because not only are you borrowing the original thoughts of others, but you are falsely showing yourself to be the author of these ideas when you are not.
This is unacceptable and frowned upon in the world of academic writing, where you are allowed to include the research and ideas of others by giving them a proper reference in your text. This also relates to when you are paraphrasing these ideas. Plagiarism checkers like Turnitin and others are instrumental in highlighting instances of cheating by borrowing others’ ideas. This blog will talk about 6 reasons why students should avoid plagiarism at all costs.
Six Reasons Why Students Should Avoid Plagiarism
There are many reasons why students should not borrow the ideas of other writers and researchers without giving them credit through proper referencing in their final submitted papers. If you are found out, it will not only decrease your grade or result in a failure, but will lower your image in the eyes of your instructor. Anything you submit after this will also be viewed with doubt. So it is best not to resort to any form of plagiarism because it has bad results all around.
1. They are used to collaborating on ideas and concepts.
If we look at the world of music or movies, there is a definite period of around one year where the rights of the actors, composers, or singers are respected. Any copies taken out by other singers during this period are considered plagiarism. They prevent the original creators from earning royalties and from tour performances. However, students who grew up sharing songs on Kazaa and Morpheus do not consider copyright violations a punishable offense. It is hardly surprising that they adopt the same behavior when submitting academic papers. They are also used to studying in groups and consider collaboration as a way of producing results. Discussing with students what constitutes plagiarism and how to correctly cite sources will go a long way in reducing the practice.
2. They consider plagiarism a part of learning.
You might be surprised to know that students even consider copying the work of seasoned writers as part of learning to write correctly. However, this is a wrong idea and can lead to them copying phrases or parts of paragraphs as part of their own papers. The instructor will need to dissuade this practice and ask them to summarize ideas instead of paraphrasing them.
3. Students are confused about what they should cite and what not to cite.
This is one of the chief reasons for students being punished for plagiarism. If they include just one citation at the end of a paragraph and think that they have effectively cited the material, they could fall short of the requirements. The truth is that every figure or number in the text should also be properly cited. Teachers should look for such mistakes and tell the students to cite all instances correctly.
4. Bad Note Taking Can Lead to Problems.
A student on a research project should diligently and systematically record all sources on paper or use a recording device. Forgetting or overlooking these details could lead to charges of plagiarism. Students need to be taught to take notes properly and cite all sources correctly. The exact formatting for citations could be done in the final stages.
5. Students May Not Understand the Need to Cite All Sources.
A few students may not appreciate the need to cite all sources. If their experience is the same as another researcher, they may not see the need to cite it. They see it as an unnecessary burden while writing a paper. Research students need to consider themselves part of a learning community of scholars expanding the boundaries of knowledge. The confusion is compounded by the fact that each teacher may require a separate citation style, and some may not be updated on the latest conventions. Teachers should work together to create a uniform style for all papers in an institution. It will make the students more cooperative and consistent.
6. Students May Find it Difficult to Integrate Sources With Their Own Thoughts.
It is difficult to summarize material, paraphrase text, and add citations where needed. Instructors should teach students to summarize rather than paraphrase. Paraphrasing could lead to using words and phrases similar to those of the author. Students should put their sources away when summarizing. Where citations are used only at the end of paragraphs, it could lead to inadequate citations.
Summing It Up
The main reason why students plagiarize is that they are confused and lazy. They do not want to make the effort required to write a genuinely good research paper. It is clear that they need to be explained and cautioned on the proper way of writing an academic paper so that they avoid plagiarism and can proudly state that the work produced is through their own efforts.