“Originality is not found in individual words or even sentences. Originality is the entirety of a person’s thoughts or their writing” (Singer, Isaac Bashevis). Generating an authentic work can pose challenges for students.
Many easy resources are now available to help and guide students through their work. With the ease of access to such resources, students have become increasingly reliant on them. This is a common occurrence in universities worldwide, leading to a growing concern for checking originality. However, students must understand that they should only use these sources for reference and then produce their own work based on their abilities.
According to Cottrell (2001), when structuring an assignment, it is important to gather information from various sources, select relevant data, critically analyze it, consider different perspectives, and develop a logical argument. Additionally, universities must clearly communicate the consequences of plagiarism to their students. Cottrell (2001) states that universities often expel students who engage in plagiarism. However, a BBC report reveals that out of 9200 cases, only 143 students were expelled from their universities for plagiarism. Despite universities’ strict policies, 86 UK universities still experience a high rate of plagiarism among postgraduate students.
Plagiarism in students can be attributed to various factors including the pressure of meeting university deadlines, the burden of part-time jobs, and a lack of self-confidence. These factors often drive individuals to plagiarize others’ work, ultimately leading to instances of plagiarism. To maintain academic integrity, it is crucial for universities to establish suitable measures and penalize students who engage in plagiarism. By taking these steps, future incidents would be discouraged and serve as a deterrent.
Despite plagiarism being a requirement, some students fail to adhere to it even though there are numerous pages on the university website discussing the issue. To address this, it is recommended that additional academic referencing classes be offered to international students due to the significant differences in past academic practices. Nowadays, universities use Turn it in software which helps detect plagiarism and verify the originality of submitted work. This software also assists students in identifying similar sources. The fear of facing consequences from this software has motivated students to make authentic content and use accurate citations.
Before plagiarizing, it is important to consider if this is fair to the original author. This decision reflects one’s integrity.
Works Cited: ‘Blind Eye’ turned to exam cheats. (n.d.)
) Retrieved from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.
cottrell, s. (2001). Teaching Study Skills and Supporting Learning. uk/1/hi/education/7458286.stm
New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Cottrell, S. (2001). Teaching Study Skills and Supporting learning.
newyork: Palgrave mcmillan. Coughlan, S. E. (n.
According to BBC News, university cheats are not expelled. The source of this information is a news article.
According to bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7434277.stm, exams may be a solution to combat student cheating.
(n.d.). Retrieved from BBC News: http://news.
bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6058250.stm – Race, P.
(2007). The Lecturer’s Toolkit (A practical guide to assessment, learning, and teaching) Third Edition. London and New York: Routledge. Success Story: Florida International University.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://turnitin.com/resources/documentation/turnitin/sales/Florida_International_Univ_success_story.pdf
