Academic honesty is expected from students when doing examinations, assignments and other academic discussions. Students are always expected to produce original work unless directed to do otherwise by their instructors (Harvey 132).
In order to find solutions to the various problems in their course work, the internet and other external sources are readily available to assist them in coming up with possible solutions to their problems (Harvey 132). Presenting any form of academic work to an academic audience requires adequate preparations and the materials presented must meet the required intellectual standards (Harvey 133).
It is important to point out that the use of external sources can only amount to cheating if the students use external sources without the permission of their instructors. Students should recognize all external sources as a way of appreciating borrowed ideas (Harvey 133).
There are some conservative tutors who do not allow students to use external sources even if the use of the sources is legal. This is not fair for students since it is not possible for them to know and remember everything at the same time (Harvey 133). Students should be allowed to use external sources in tests and academic presentations as long as they avoid plagiarism.
In using external sources, there are certain things that students are not expected to do (Spatt 34). To begin with, the word-for-word use of external sources is forbidden because it shows lack of initiative from the side of students (Spatt 34). Excessive use of external sources should not be tolerated by tutors because it encourages laziness and dishonesty (Spatt 34).
The use of external sources can only be justified if students obey all the copyright laws. The use of print sources has been overtaken by the internet and this has left many instructors worried (Spatt 36). Most websites are not reviewed compared to print sources. Despite this concern, tutors should recommend credible internet sources to their students to enhance quality academic work (Spatt 36).
Tests and assignments are vital assessment tools used by teachers in learning institutions (Spatt 78). It is not possible for students to understand and know everything without using other sources. Academic sources provide examples and evidence that support arguments in research essays (Spatt 78).
Primary and secondary academic sources should therefore be used in an ethical way to ensure students deliver quality assignments backed by credible evidence from external sources (Spatt 78). Academic research entails referring to other people’s work to build one’s ideas, theories and facts (Spatt 99).
Academic sources should be made accessible to students when they are doing standardized tests. Assignments and tests are important assessment tools in the life of a student and therefore being denied legal access to external sources is not fair to them (Spatt 99). Therefore, these tests should be restructured or should not be used as assessment tools.
Writing skills are essential in communication and language tests. Composition tests are meant to test the students’ writing techniques, and at the same time examine if their thinking is actually critical (Kapitzke 34). Compositions and other pieces of writing must always meet intellectual standards. Any form of training that does not allow students to use outside information and materials is bound to lack substance.
Positions taken by students when writing essays should have strong and credible evidence from outside sources (Kapitzke 34). Recent research indicates that the performance of students is poor when it comes to essay writing because their tutors do not permit the use of external sources (Coffin 155).
It is always difficult for students to remember all the facts about a particular subject or topic without consulting other sources (Coffin 155). A student can only be considered as information literate if he or she is able access and evaluate information from sources in a critical and effective manner (Coffin 155).
Ethical and legal access to academic information with appropriate application demonstrates that a student meets the required information literacy standards (Coffin 155).
Internet research has become very popular in recent times with many composition classes leaning towards the new trend of conducting academic research. Many publications have been done through the help of internet sources (Coffin 160). Although internet sources have helped a great deal in academic writing, the credibility of some of the sources is what worries many scholars.
It is always a difficult task for students to determine which online sources are credible and useful. Some companies have commercial websites that they use to advocate for the issues they support (Coffin 160). These websites provide a perfect platform for customers to give their views about company products, services and campaigns.
Digital advocacy has become a common trend in companies and learning institutions (Coffin 160). Conservative composition teachers are always reluctant to allow the use of internet sources by their students because they always question the credibility of some of the online sources (Coffin 160).
It is always a difficult task to locate and understand information from traditional print sources compared to online sources (Davis and Mark 418). Some websites do not undergo editing and filtering which makes conservative scholars to question the use of online sources (Davis and Mark 418). Digital advocacy is an initiative that has changed the attitude of many people towards the use online resources.
Many students do not prefer the use of print sources in their academic research but are only forced to do so by their instructors (Davis and Mark 418). Information location, analysis and application require some techniques but many students are not familiar with these essential research skills. Research techniques are also very fundamental when using both commercial and advocacy websites (Davis and Mark 425).
Students can only become effective writers if their instructors give sincere responses and comments on their work (Davis and Mark 428). The task of assessing students’ writing assignments consumes a lot of time and energy but many people do not seem to realize this.
A teacher’s comments help students to always have the reader in mind while writing any piece of academic work (Davis and Mark 430). Students are able to review their work and make the necessary revisions if their writing is assessed on a consistent basis (Davis and Mark 430). The comments made by some teachers tend to influence students to write according to their teachers’ demands and not according to their original ideas.
There is a great difference between the comments made by editing software and a teacher’s comments (Davis and Mark 436). The tone of editorial comments plays a major role in determining whether students remain original in their writing or not (Coffin 171).
A teacher’s comments should be thoughtful and not abstract in order to make students make the right amendments to their work (Davis and Mark 441). Plagiarism is one of the major issues highlighted by teachers when assessing the quality of their students’ writing. The use of external sources is permitted in writing academic work but it must be done in a legal and ethical manner (Davis and Mark 441).
Students who refer to external materials and information in their writing should make an effort of recognizing the sources used in their work. Plagiarism is the use of another author’s intellectual material without any form of citation (Kapitzke 78). Plagiarism is a criminal offence liable for prosecution in a court of law if one is found guilty (Harvey 29). Teachers have a responsibility of teaching their students on how to use external sources.
Paraphrasing and in-text citation should always be used by students in order to avoid plagiarism (Harvey 29). All the sources quoted or paraphrased by students should be well documented using appropriate referencing methods as directed by the students’ instructors.
Some software has been developed to detect illegal use of sources by students (Harvey 29). The use of plagiarism detectors has become very common because it is difficult to identify plagiarism instances manually.
The content of a student’s work is determined by the amount of research conducted by the student (Spatt 64). The errors found in the work of a student should always be highlighted to help students rearrange their work in a logical manner (Spatt 64). The purpose and reason for writing a research essay should be made clear by teachers to make students write with some logic (Spatt 115).
Research essays are an example of standardized tests offered in schools and colleges and therefore a lot of effort should be put in training students on how to write research papers with intellectual substance (Spatt 115).
Academic writing is an activity that requires students to be very creative (Spatt 115). A quality academic paper is a combination of creative thinking and effective use of external sources. Students spend a lot of time and effort in locating information from external sources and this actually deserves some credit (Coffin 179). It is important to note that the use of external sources does not mean that students lack creativity.
A proper combination of ideas from other people with a student’s own creativity enables students to come up with quality academic papers (Coffin 179). It is therefore advisable for students to only use external sources when necessary to prevent people from questioning their creativity. The reasons for using external sources vary from one student to another (Coffin 2002).
The first reason for using external sources is to get a widely accepted definition of words. Using external sources to come up with credible and acceptable definitions of words does not redefine the word but only shows that the definition is credible (Coffin 202).
Students who use external sources should quote and cite the borrowed information as a way of giving credit to original authors (Kapitzke 79). Citation styles such as Harvard, APA and MLA are commonly used in recognizing the works of other people. A reference list should be included at the end of every academic paper to show all details about the external sources used in the paper.
Academic research is very involving and the use of other people’s ideas is almost inevitable (Kapitzke 79). Success in using external sources depends on how students express the ideas of other people in their work (Kapitzke 79). The statements made by students should be recognized by the system. Reproducing other people’s ideas is not acceptable in any way.
Students are expected to express other people’s ideas in their own way (Kapitzke 89). It is important for students to first of all read and understand other people’s ideas for them to express the ideas in their own words without reproducing the original ideas. Superficial rephrasing of other people’s ideas only happens when students fail to read and understand the original author’s ideas (Kapitzke 89).
Paraphrases, summaries and quotation are very useful in giving academic papers the required sparkle and power (Kapitzke 145). External sources enrich the thinking of students and give them the power to present quality arguments. It is also important for students to evaluate the sources they intend to use in their writing to ensure that it meets the requirements and purpose of the paper (Kapitzke 145).
Proper organization and preparation enables students to avoid instances of plagiarism. Students with good note taking skills end up producing quality papers that are free from plagiarism.
The ability to realize when to summarize, paraphrase and use quotations is what makes a student to stand out as a good academic writer (Kapitzke 145). Effective use of external sources is key to coming up with quality and credible research papers. It is important to note that all cases of plagiarism are illegal whether intentional or unintentional (Coffin 213).
The use of external sources by students has always raised a lot of arguments among teachers and other academic instructors (Coffin 213). It is important to reiterate that that telling students to come up with academic papers without consulting other sources is not appropriate (Harvey 158).
The main essence of research is to use existing knowledge to develop new ideas. The ideas, theories and opinions of other people are essential in any academic research (Harvey 158). Writing academic papers such as term papers, compositions and essays is part of a student’s academic life and therefore need to be given special attention.
Instructors have a responsibility of ensuring that students are well equipped with good information retrieval techniques (Spatt 114). The ability to retrieve and synthesize information is an essential aspect of academic research.
The credibility of external sources determines the quality of academic papers produced by students (Spatt 114). Quality sources that have been reviewed and edited should be recommended for academic research. It is the responsibility of tutors to recommend credible academic sources to their students (Coffin 177).
In conclusion, the use of external sources by students should be allowed in schools to enable students come up with quality research essays and compositions. Advocacy and commercial websites are currently being used for academic and commercial purposes (Coffin 214).
The response and comments made by teachers on their students’ work should help a great deal in enabling students come up with quality essays (Harvey 156). Students should cite all external sources used in their work to avoid plagiarism by all means. Information retrieval techniques are very essential in academic research. The quality of external sources used determines the quality of academic research.
Standardized tests can only become fair if students are allowed to use external information and materials to support their work (Spatt 115). Students should therefore be allowed to use external sources it their tests and assignments as long as they recognize the used sources.
Works Cited
Coffin, Caroline. Teaching Academic Writing: A Toolkit for Academic Writing. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print.
Davis, Robert and Mark Shaddle. “Building a Mystery”: Alternative Research and the Academic Act of Seeking. College Composition and Communication 51.3 (2000): pp.417-446. Web.
Harvey, Gordon. Writing with Sources: A Guide for Students. New York: Hackett Publishing, 1998. Print.
Kapitzke, Cushla. Information literacy: The changing library. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 44.1(2001). Web.
Spatt, Brenda. Writing from Sources. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. Print.