Why plagiarism is not in the student's best interest.

Brandan Hollis posted Sep 14, 2018 9:25 PM

The most obvious reason why plagiarism is not in the best interest of the student is that
if the student gets caught plagiarizing the consequences can be as severe as being expelled
from school. Given the severe consequences of plagiarism, why would a student still do it?
Some students plagiarize as to get a good grade. They think that the grade is the most
important thing. However, if they get caught their grade will most likely be a zero. Even if
they do not get caught plagiarizing, if they have not mastered the subject that they are
learning they may not have the knowledge to maintain a good grade in the future. Intentional
plagiarism can ruin a person’s reputation and undermine their teacher’s trust. The students
who plagiarize intentionally are dealt with most severely.
Some students plagiarize unintentionally. Students who do their research on the
internet sometimes use “patchwriting”. “Patchwriting” is a style of writing where the student
patches together ideas from other Authors in with their own without giving the other authors
credit. The ability to copy and paste lines from websites onto word documents has made
“patchwriting” easy for lazy writers. Some students do not understand that they must cite
concepts from other authors, even if they do not copy word for word from the authors.
People who plagiarize intentionally should know that there are many tools available
that teachers can use to detect plagiarism. If caught, the consequences will be severe, and
plagiarism just isn’t worth the risk. For the people who plagiarize unintentionally, education
is key. Teachers should make sure that students know all about plagiarism. Teachers should
also either teach students how to make citations correctly, or direct students to websites that
can help students make proper citations. A good rule of thumb for students is to just cite
everything.
Williams, B. A. (2002, March). Advising Students Accused of the 'P' Word. Retrieved
September 15, 2018, fromhttps://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-
Today/View-Articles/Advising-Students-Accused-of-the-P-Word.aspx
Talbert, R. (2006, February 2). Four reasons why academic dishonesty is bad . Retrieved
September 14, 2018,
fromhttp://www.chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines/2006/02/24/four-reasons-
why-academic-dishonesty-is-bad/
Preventing Plagiarism in School: Student & Teacher Resources . (2018). Retrieved September
15, 2018, fromhttps://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/preventing-plagiarism/

Gloria Rodriguez
yesterday at 6:36 PM
Hi Brandan, I totally agree with you! As teachers, it's our job to
"shape and mold" students. Plagiarism is so big now of our
society, and minimizing it at all costs is very important. I
enjoyed your post and agree tremendously with your view that
plagiarism can be helped by teachers showing students how to
make citations correctly, or direct students to websites that can
help students make proper citations

Kayla Smith
yesterday at 8:31 PM
I never knew there was a word for "Patchwriting." This is
interesting to me. It is so easy for people to copy and paste
things from different websites and try to make it their own. I
think as teachers it is our responsibility to teach our students to
"use their own smart brains" to come up with the words to say
themselves. (Smart brains comes from being an elementary aide,
we use that phrase a lot!)

Patricia Henson
5 hours ago
I found the information about "Patchwriting" interesting. I myself
have researched online and copied certain pieces of research
and rephrased it with my own words. I never gave credit,
because I was in the mindset that it was okay to copy that as
long as I rephrased the subject. I think it is important for
teachers to educate their students on proper citing.

Stephen Mccarley
3 hours ago
I didn't know patchwriting was the word to describe someone
who copy and paste stuff from other material. I did know
however it happens more often than not. I agree it's a problem
and we should make sure the students fully understand
the consequences. Even when using the tools we as teachers will
have to check for plagiarism we should always make sure when
something is pinged as plagiarism we check if it was intentional
or accidental. This way we are certain that the student needs to
be punished for it. If accidental we should have a talk with the
student and their parents about what happen or if a college
student have them rewrite the paper for a lesser grade at least
on the first offense.