The subject of plagiarism has been gradually getting more attention over the past decades. But does that mean the quality of academic work has improved? We at PlagScan are always happy to get any type of feedback from customers. Usually the most productive responses we get are from the customer base that cares the most – the teachers.
When we engage into this subject with academia representatives, we get the general idea that they indeed have higher control in the means of academic integrity and at the same time do their work faster by using PlagScan. However, sometimes they do not see a significant improvement in the work the students output on the long run. Sometimes plagiarism is not the issue. Plagiarism free work does not necessarily mean good work.
The drive to Plagiarize
In many of the cases the most important causing issue that leads to plagiarism is simply lack of creativity. This may be subjective, but sometimes it is a matter of general class consciousness and awareness. Sadly, some students simply see reaching an academic level as a piece of paper, and not the bigger picture, as a level of moral and ethics. One of the most influential approaches is the incentive of reading and researching teachers impose on students. This consecutively leads to critical thinking and changes the perception of the students. Articles, journals, books etc. all play a role in the perspective of a student on valuing hard work invested in originality. The lack of originality in student papers usually roots from the elementary level of education, when essay and seminar work guidelines should be introduced appropriately.
The same goes for all education institutions out there. So far we are sure that the culture of academic integrity should not be neglected and should be nurtured with high priority. This creates an inspirational atmosphere for teaching and learning. By doing so, the value of the academic work is enhanced and students feel the reward they deserve.
Have you experienced a feeling like this with a student, coworker, friend? What would you suggest as an improvement in academic originality and what do you see as a cause of this behavior?
We have prepared a handout that will help teachers to coherently present a brief introduction of academic integrity, plagiarism, and cheating to students. Please follow the link below: