Plagiarism and the web

The Internet makes it easy for students to find research papers on the web. Papers can be found at both free and commercial sites, and lots of students are tempted to turn in completely pre-fabricated essays. Don't do this. Not only is it plagiarism, but it doesn't tend to work very well except as short-term crisis management. First of all, you don't learn much of value from the experience. Second, the papers are generally of low quality. Here's the judgment of one instructor who checked out several web sites offering college papers:

　　I spent two hours spot-checking about 10 sites. I found that the papers were disorganized, underdocumented and poorly argued. Most of the sites had caveats:"To be used for research purposes only," and indeed I could imagine myself using only a paragraph here or there from the texts. A few papers were advertised"Earned an A"; in every case the papers I skimmed would have received no higher than a D.

　　Edward G. Berlinski,"What You Don't Know Will Hurt You," Washington Post （March 1, 1999）, A19.

　　Teacher tip

　　If you suspect that a student paper has been obtained from the web, run a search on text, title, or keywords. Often it's easy to track down an online source. But the best way to reduce plagiarism problems is to require students to turn in intermediate drafts and notes of their research. Some teachers also require students to turn in with their final paper a portfolio containing notes, outlines, earlier drafts, and so on.

　　A final note on plagiarism: When you put your name on academic work and submit it, you are claiming ownership of the work. If through carelessness or design you've blurred the lines between what's yours and what you've taken from others, you are stealing intellectual property. Don't do it. Plagiarism is risky and counterproductive. It harms your intellectual and moral development. It leaves a permanent paper trail that can have devastating consequences, even years down the line. And, most of all, it's wrong.