Introduction
In recent years, plagiarism has become one of the most pressing issues in education worldwide. Plagiarism is classified as a violation of copyright and moral norms. It arises when someone uses another person’s ideas and materials to construct assignments or theses in their scientific work.This essay will prove that plagiarism is a widespread and serious issue with clear motivations behind it that can be solved by applying measures both pedagogically and in terms of plagiarism-checking the submitted works.
Reasons for Plagiarism
Inadequate Academic Instruction
The primary reason for the high rate of plagiarism nowadays is that some educational institutions are not sufficiently effective in teaching their students the rules of academic writing and copyright laws. Students, therefore, lack understanding of what they are doing incorrectly (Nwosu and Ebere 14685). In this regard, many students just steal the work of other scholars without considering the repercussions of their actions, as they are not aware of them.
Easy Online Access to Plagiarize Content
Furthermore, the high availability of works that can be easily plagiarized online drives students to do so. According to several studies, the emergence of new technology and the increase of platforms that contain works that can be copied have increased the level of plagiarism in educational institutions (Jereb et al. 11). With a huge amount of pre-made assignments available online, students are tempted to copy and submit them as their own.
Time Constraints and Academic Pressure
Another driving factor for plagiarizing is students’ lack of time and need for efficiency. Studies have shown that after the high availability of online sources, the second most common reason for copying works is pressure. When students are working on several subjects with strict deadlines, they may opt to steal the content made by others to save time (Jereb et al. 12). Students’ high stress levels, combined with their lack of knowledge about plagiarism, result in a high number of illegally copied works submitted.
Poor Study Materials and Note Quality
Additionally, students sometimes resort to plagiarism when their study notes are poorly written. This may be attributed to a large number of assignments in a short period, poor teaching methods utilized by professors, insufficient understanding of the subject, or simply bad handwriting (Nwosu and Ebere 14680). Due to these reasons, students are unable to write assignments properly, as they simply don’t have enough info to do that, and thus resort to copying the works of other scholars or students.
Student Insecurity and Fear of Failure
Another reason for plagiarism among students that should be noted is the lack of confidence. If a student is not sure whether or not they can properly write an assignment, they may instead find a pre-written work in order to be sure that they will be given a higher grade when they submit it (Sibomana et al. 18). Thus, by plagiarizing, students avoid the fear of underperforming and gaining a low grade.
Institutional Measures Against Plagiarism
However, many universities and schools have taken steps to combat plagiarism. For instance, a lot of educational institutions enact “anti-plagiarism laws” that forbid students from utilizing content that is not their own or works that are not cited properly. Several institutes utilize specialized software like Turnitin to discover and remove copied content from documents (Perkins et al. 4). With the rising popularity of plagiarized works, educational institutions have successfully enacted measures to deal with this threat.
Moreover, it is necessary to inform the students about what is and what is not plagiarism and what legal repercussions they will face if they plagiarize. With a proper understanding of what will happen if a researcher posts a blatantly stolen work, students will be more cautious with their use of the Internet for their assignments (Sibomana et al. 21). Thus, if a student understands the legal side of their work, they may choose to give up on plagiarizing entirely.
A more extensive education of students on the principles of academic writing and copyright is another strategy for dealing with copying. Students should be given real-world instances of plagiarism as part of the instruction, which should be practical. Practical seminars, lecture cycles, and sessions can be held to instruct students on how to effectively use knowledge, as well as advice on how to prepare proper scientific articles (Perkins et al. 6). Thus, when students receive adequate knowledge of the rules for writing scientific texts, they will be more careful in using and properly citing third-party sources.
Conclusion
It is vital to state that plagiarism is a challenge for the modern educational system. By carefully utilizing specialized software, giving students hands-on instruction in the conventions of academic writing and copyright, and educating them on the possible legal repercussions of copying third-party works and the problems that arise with it, plagiarism may be avoided. Thus, while plagiarism is a huge issue in the academic world, it would only take minor actions to combat it and, eventually, eliminate this threat entirely.
Works Cited
Perkins, Mike, et al. «Reducing plagiarism through academic misconduct education». International Journal for Educational Integrity, vol. 16, no. 3, 2020, pp. 1-16. Web.
Nwosu, Lilian I. and Ebere, Joshua C. “The Attitude of Students Towards Plagiarism in Online Learning: A Narrative Literature Review.” Gender & Behaviour, 2020, pp. 14675-14688. Web.
Jereb, Eva, et al. “Factors influencing plagiarism in higher education: A comparison of German and Slovene students.” PLOS ONE, vol. 13, no. 8, 2018. Web.
Sibomana, Emmanuel, et al. “Plagiarism in higher education environment: causes and solutions.” Rwandan Journal of Education, vol. 4, no. 2, 2018, pp. 15-23. Web.