I really think that on some level our students don’t understand plagiarism the way we do/did. But you can’t have this conversation with most faculty who view plagiarism as if it were a capital crime. It is a grave offense that undermines the work of the academy, but saying it’s really bad doesn’t change the culture our 18 year olds bring to the university. Trip Gabriel has an interesting piece in the New York Times on the rise in plagiarism. This passage, really stood out to me:
Now we have a whole generation of students who’ve grown up with information that just seems to be hanging out there in cyberspace and doesn’t seem to have an author,” said Teresa Fishman, director of the Center for Academic Integrity at Clemson University. “It’s possible to believe this information is just out there for anyone to take.
Do you think this argument excuses plagiarism among our students? How do you address it at your institutions?
via Matt Yglesias.
Comments 3
Terje A. Arnøy — August 20, 2010
As a student, I would not see this as an excuse, although it is an explanation. The whole point of taking different courses at college and universities is to take these types of information that just hang out there in cyberspace, and ground them in an academic and scientific context. If students cannot understand this, then they or the university they attend has failed at one of the fundamental responsibilities that is getting or giving an education.
Plagiarism is not properly handled at my university, and as I see it the only fundamental way to avoid it is to make sure that students get an early and thorough introduction to academic and scientific writing, and how to pay due respect to knowledge that is hanging out there, and that this is fundamental for them to be original and creative.
Look at YouTube videos, that mix different elements, such as video from one element and sound from another (or manipulating these things in different ways) are in many ways creative and original. Elements are known in most cases and therefore you can see and hear that these things were not information hanging out there, but you can with reasonable ease find out what the song was or where the video clip came from.
"The future always builds on the past"
jose — August 22, 2010
Great points! I couldn't agree more! We need a paradigm shift in academia about this issue :-)
nancy kraushaar — August 16, 2013
One of three in a junior level tech writing group project. One student used internet info without attribution. We divided up the assignment per instructor rubric. One of three admitted he plagiarized (one sentence for a bumper sticker), others had no knowledge even though they communicated during the project. Now all three must take plagiarism class, have sanctions in their student files, and grades docked. Because "your name is on the document you are guilty by association." I never thought to ask, in any group project (including military service): did you plagiarize? Any comment?