Plagiarism is a widespread growing problem. Not only have students been accused of plagiarizing, but also famous authors, clergymen, historians, musicians, artists, columnists, and directors. National Public Radio (NPR) has done several stories on plagiarism. Listen to this recent story of plagiarism. The NPR site will open in a new window. Click on Listen to listen to a story on plagiarism with explanations from students. What would your students say about cheating?

Now that information is so easily accessible, it is important that students understand the ethics of the Internet. Although graphics, audio, video, and text can be copied and pasted, does not mean that it is legal or ethical. Being able to do something does not make it right. What is available on the Internet is other people's hard work both physically and mentally. "Borrowing" does not give ownership. It is still cheating. David Summergrad, a teacher in Massachusetts, compares in his article, Calling It What It Is, cheating to lying in order to get students to understand the severity of the problem.

The Plagiarism Continuum

Some students may not understand the difference between copying and creating their own thoughts, words, and ideas. Others may just rationalize to themselves that they would do it the same way and why do it again if it's already been done, and done better than they could do it themselves. Educators may rationalize that it's not a big problem, there's nothing they can do about it, or it's not really cheating. No matter the excuse or where the student or educator may lie on the continuum between ignorant and outright cheating, it is still wrong, unethical, and illegal.

Students and educators should not be anywhere on the continuum. The article, What Can We Do to Curb Student Cheating? published in Education World tells of the size and depth of the problem as well as what educators can do. According to Jamie McKenzie, "Unless there is a clear statement that art, photos and text are 'public domain' and available for free use, the best policy is to assume that they are copyrighted and should not be taken and used for re-publication on a local area network, a wide area network or a Web site." He goes on to say, "Copyright law protects work even if no papers have been filed with the government." In other words, a Web site or graphic does not have to say, "Copyright" for it to be copyrighted. Educators need to make this clear to their students as well as model appropriate Internet use.

What to do?

Try not to leave room for plagiarism. Assignments that may generate plagiarism include:

• Huge projects that are due at the end of the month or term affording students time to wait to the last minute, panic, get desperate, and copy.
• General research papers on a particular subject where students transfer the information from a book or the Internet to the paper with little original thought.

Besides modeling appropriate Internet behavior, setting a good example, and defining plagiarism with the students, educators can take several steps to reduce opportunities for cheating by:

• Requiring several pieces of the assignment before the final big project is due. Notes, outlines, and rough drafts can illustrate a student's progress.
• Asking for a list of resources, citations, or references showing where students collected their data.
• Integrating Bloom's higher-level thinking skills into the assignment. See the section "Higher-Level Critical Thinking Skills" at the bottom of Lesson #1 for more information.
• Teaching students how to avoid plagiarism.
• Educating parents about plagiarism.

Another way educators can reduce cheating is by having a student-created Honor Code. In the Honor Code, students define plagiarism and cheating as well as the consequences. Consequences may range from: redoing the assignment, losing points, failing grade on the paper or project, failing grade for the class, suspension, or even expulsion. Jamie McKenzie provides several more great ideas for reducing plagiarism in his article, The New Plagiarism: Seven Antidotes to Prevent Highway Robbery in an Electronic Age.

Mine & Yours

This does not mean that you can never use someone else's ideas. We are constantly combining and revising what we learn with what we know. We even cite our sources when we talk. For example, while talking to my friend I may say, "Yesterday on NPR I heard Todd Mundt interviewing Canadian Historian A.B. McKillop about H.G. Wells being charged with plagiarism in the 1920s." Notice I cite the date, people, and topic in my conversation. In writing, this should also be done although there can be grey areas. The Internet provides so much information that it can be difficult to distinguish between your own ideas and others. Therefore, when in doubt, it is better to cite, reference, and give credit to a source.

Technology vs. Technology

Just as the use of technology has played a part in the increase of plagiarism, technology can also be used to reduce plagiarism. Plagiarism.org, a Web site for educators about plagiarism, defines the problem as well as the solution to plagiarism. Plagiarism.org's partner Web site, Turnitin.com, uses a "plagiarism prevention system" providing color-coded reports indicating the level of plagiarism in a document. Pricing for Turnitin.com varies based on the chosen licensing plan (instructor, school, district.)

Other resources educators can use for verifying student work include Google and AltaVista. A suspect sentence or section can be pasted into Google and AltaVista and searched for copies. Finally let your students know that ignorance is not an excuse for plagiarism and cheating. The point of the assignment is not to "get it done" but to learn.