Verified Document

Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism Academic Thesis

Very often, fraternity houses maintained extensive files of hundreds of academic papers already submitted for course credit. Those papers enabled students to rewrite papers that had already received high grades and change them just enough to present the same material as new; in larger universities, students sometimes submitted recycled papers to different professors without even bothering to rewrite much more than the title page with their student information and the date of submission.

Nowadays, more and more instructors require students to submit papers electronically, specifically so that they can maintain a database of papers previously submitted in their courses. Those databases can also be combined into the institution's computer system as miniature, institution-specific versions of Turninin.com.

Professional Ghostwriting:

The use of professional academic ghostwriters is probably the safest form of student plagiarism, because detection is not a significant risk unless the instructor detects a different comprehension level between a student's in-class verbal contribution to class and that exhibited in written assignments. Particularly in larger academic institutions of higher learning where instructors do not regularly interact with students individually or necessarily even learn their identities. Likewise, tenured professors at many large universities provide lectures but rely extensively on teaching assistants (TA) to grade papers.

Professional ghostwriting has existed long before the Internet, but, much like everything else, online capabilities have greatly increased the availability and otherwise facilitated the use of professional ghostwriting services by students for the purposes of plagiarism. Typically, students do an online search using search terms like "essays" or "academic + essays" which reveals thousands of Internet ventures dedicated to helping students present unoriginal academic work as their own. Many of these sites merely collect large databases of prior essays on every conceivable academic topic in every possible academic subject matter area and resell them.

In principle, this is just a much larger version of the traditional fraternity essay library, but some Internet companies also provide custom essay-writing services for which students pay a premium. They advertise their ability to provide any academic assignment required for as much as $50 or more per page. Partly for this reason, Universities and other institutions of higher learning have begun to rely much more heavily on anti-plagiarizing...

To combat the use of professional custom writing, many instructors now require students to submit outlines, literature reviews, full-sentence outlines, and one or more rough drafts of written assignments to help deter and complicate the use of professional ghostwriting in academia.
Conclusion:

Academic dishonesty, much like myriad other forms of dishonesty in society will likely never be eliminated entirely, for many of the same reasons that general dishonesty (i.e. outside the academic realm) will not be eliminated entirely. Cheating and dishonesty are likely fundamental elements of human nature, which is exactly why societies require laws, police forces, civil courts, and penal institutions.

Academic dishonesty is, therefore, also likely to persist indefinitely, including literary plagiarism in academia. As long as instructors continue to assign written work, especially that expected to be completed outside of class, laziness and the desire to increase grades by any means possible will continue to motivate academic plagiarism.

Wide-scale academic dishonesty in general and plagiarism in particular devalues the worth of academic degrees and represents unfair competition with respect to students who submit only the product of their own academic work. Ultimately, it also undermines the value of any education or academic degrees received by the students who perpetrate it.

Bibliography

Boon, M. (2003). "Student cheating rises at Stanford: educational outreach, overhaul of disciplinary system may be contributing factors." Retrieved January 29, 2009 from the Palo Alto Weekly Online website, at www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2003/2003_04_11.cheating11.html

Girard, N. (2009). "Plagiarism: an ethical problem in the writing world." AORN

Journal. Retrieved from FindArticles.com. At http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_1_80/ai_n6113175

Innerst, C. (1998). "Universities retreat in war on cheating." Washington Times, January. 29, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from the National Center for Policy Analysis website, at www.ncpa.org/pi/edu/jan98o.html

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (2004). Internet Gives Rise to a Bold New Era in College-

Student Cheating Jan 19; 1.A).

Slobogin, K. (2002). "Survey: many students say cheating 'OK.'" Retrieved January 29, 2009, from the CNN.com website, at www.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/04/05/highschool.cheating

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Boon, M. (2003). "Student cheating rises at Stanford: educational outreach, overhaul of disciplinary system may be contributing factors." Retrieved January 29, 2009 from the Palo Alto Weekly Online website, at www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/2003/2003_04_11.cheating11.html

Girard, N. (2009). "Plagiarism: an ethical problem in the writing world." AORN

Journal. Retrieved from FindArticles.com. At http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_1_80/ai_n6113175

Innerst, C. (1998). "Universities retreat in war on cheating." Washington Times, January. 29, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2009, from the National Center for Policy Analysis website, at www.ncpa.org/pi/edu/jan98o.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Academic Integrity Exercise 1- Academic
Words: 4300 Length: 15 Document Type: Essay

It can therefore be concluded that academic integrity and ethical conduct are expected of every learner in all academic procedures. The academic principle represents the honesty in coursework, as well as ethical conduct in clinical, lab, research and homework assignments and should be maintained in all academic communities. Exercise 2- Personal values Personal values Personal values are crucial in both our working and personal lives, in that they help shape own individual systems

Academic Honesty in Higher Education Academic Honesty
Words: 2135 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Academic Honesty in Higher Education Academic honesty is critical for the fulfillment of the very purpose for which institutions of higher learning exist. In that regard, academic dishonesty defeats the purpose of education. However, regardless of the damage it occasions, academic dishonesty continues to be rampant in many institutions of higher learning. This text concerns itself with the issue of academic honesty in higher education. Academic Honesty: A Concise Definition As far as

Academic Dishonesty Is One That
Words: 2040 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

(U of D. Office of Judicial Affairs Website " a Quick Reference Guide to Academic Integrity") On the issue of flexibility the policies and procedures of U. Of D. are also much more reasonable, allowing for proper investigation and variable sanctions, depending upon the severity of the infraction. Instructors and the administration are members of the team to assist with investigation and implementation of policies. While West Virginia University clearly exemplifies

Academic Dishonesty Among College Students
Words: 2917 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Paper

Stronger relationships among students result in a peer situation where pressure from the peer group encourages more cheating than in an environment where strong relationships are built with faculty. The author provides evidence of the power of peer pressure as opposed to individual factors such as demographics or psychological tendency by means of data from students who live with their peers as opposed to those who live in a relatively

Lesson Plan Amp; Reflection I Didn't Know
Words: 857 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Lesson Plan Amp; Reflection I didn't know what state you are in so was unable to do state/district standards! Lesson Plan Age/Grade Range; Developmental Level(s): 7-8/2nd Grade; Below grade level Anticipated Lesson Duration: 45 Minutes Lesson Foundations Pre-assessment (including cognitive and noncognitive measures): All students are reading below grade level (5-7 months) as measured by standardized assessments and teacher observation Curricular Focus, Theme, or Subject Area: Reading: Fluency, word recognition, and comprehension State/District Standards: Learning Objectives: Students will develop

Branding New Service Dominant Logic
Words: 12522 Length: 50 Document Type: Dissertation

Branding in Service Markets Amp Aim And Objectives Themes for AMP Characteristics Composing Branding Concept Branding Evolution S-D Logic and Service Markets Branding Challenges in Service Markets Considerations for Effective Service Branding Categories and Themes Branding Theory Evolution S-D Logic and Service Markets Branding Challenges in Service Markets Considerations for Effective Service Branding Branding Concept Characteristics Characteristics Composing Branding Concept Sampling of Studies Reviewed Evolution of Branding Theory Evolution of Marketing Service-Brand-Relationship-Value Triangle Brand Identity, Position & Image Just as marketing increasingly influences most aspects of the consumer's lives, brands

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now