Copy and paste seems to be the fastest learned shortcut on the computer keyboard. This I am certain because this function of Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V is used so often that many people tend to overlook the ethics of copywriting. Many students take this for granted and as a first year student, I too am guilty as charged. This semester we were strictly asked to submit our assignments in a plagiarism detecting software and this has definitely thought me a lesson.
According to BBC magazine (2 March 2011), there were several high profile cases that all been accused of plagiarism dating from the past till now and unfortunately will be ever present. This included a German defense minister on a doctoral thesis; Colonel Gaddafi’s son on his PhD thesis; Kaavya Viswanathan on her novel; US vice-president Joe Biden on his speech and Martin Luther King on his doctoral thesis. This is an even apparent issue these days because the abundance of information online that allows the opportunity to duplicate and to fabricate. Universities are trying their best to curb this issue of copy and paste in essay writings but in the end it boils done to proper referencing. Apparently, students are still unaware on how to properly cite and write footnotes to credit researchers because rewriting points of other is not necessarily plagiarism if done the academic way. Educators are also encouraged to identify mistakes and plagiarism themselves instead of relying on software’s because it can be difficult to detect otherwise.
As a student, I do have my fair share of slip ups when it comes to citing other works but it is highly important that we learn proper technics on how to cite and reference because plagiarism is a serious case whereby students can sometimes be asked to leave their courses for their unethical actions. Putnis, Peter & Petelin, Roslyn (1996, pp. 3) states that it is essential that you know why you are writing and what your readers hope to find when you write in academic and professional contexts. This is important because then only you will be able to focus on your idea than trying to take other researcher’s work. According to Nilsson, LE, Eklof, A & Ottosson, T (2009) mentions that students these days see technology as a means of solving their problems including their research paper. This is considered a form of cheating especially when copying and pasting work. Thus, it is highly important for students now to start practicing the art of proper citation rather than get caught in their prime stages of making it big. The consequences then are great and far more humiliating.
References
Morgan, J and Hauck, B 2011, ‘Plagiarism: The Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V boom’, BBC Magazine, 2 March.
Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Nilsson, LE, Eklof, A & Ottosson, T 2009 ‘I'm entitled to make mistakes and get corrected': students' self-positioning in inquiries into academic conduct’, Critical Discourse Studies, vol. 6, no.2, pp. 127-152, viewed 10 June 2011, <http://web.ebscohost.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=70217295-2339-4c52-a6ae-cf5b4914566c%40sessionmgr13&vid=5&hid=9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ufh&AN=37140172>.
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