Potential Magazine Fall 2015 - Alabama Edition | Page 38

life skills

think first

THE DANGERS
OF PLAGIARISM
While some teens may see plagiarism as
something everyone does and rarely relate to
it as a criminal or civil offense, in reality, this
form of copyright infringement is far more
than just an academic violation. If a student is
caught plagiarizing, whether it was intentional
or not, in addition to failing the assignment or
course, students may be suspended, expelled,
sued in federal court or even barred from
entering college.
To avoid these life-altering ramifications, it’s best to keep these
four tips in mind.

CONSULT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTORS.

There are many different levels of plagiarism, and people may
define it differently. Depending on the teacher or policy at your
school, simply not citing sources correctly or turning in work
you originally submitted for another class could be considered
plagiarism.

Real world advice: When in doubt, always ask questions to
clarify. Communication is the death of ignorance.

According to a survey on academic integrity done
by Penn State, the No. 1 reason students plagiarize is
due to their fear of failure. As parents, it’s important
to make sure your teens put things into perspective
and get help when needed rather than placing their
academic career at risk. Teens need to understand
that a lower grade on an assignment isn’t as bad as
getting caught plagiarizing.

USE AN ONLINE PLAGIARISM
CHECKER. Instructors today are using plagiarism detec-

tion software like Turnitin to catch students who plagiarize work.
When in doubt, before turning in your assignment, try using an
online plagiarism checker like WriteCheck (en.writecheck.com)
to make sure you’re not violating any copyright laws. You can also
use sites like EasyBib (easybib.com) to make sure you’re citing
your work correctly.

Real world advice: It’s never okay to turn in work that belongs to someone else without giving them the proper credit.

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Out of 43,000 high school students
surveyed by The Josephson
Institute Center for Youth Ethics,
one in three students admitted to
using the internet to plagiarize an
assignment.

SAY NO. Doing someone else’s work for them is a violation

of academic integrity, and both the author and the person turning
in the work can be penalized for committing plagiarism. Many
institutions treat plagiarism as a serious offense, and if you aren’t
careful, you could risk losing your college degree.

Real world advice: If you don’t stand up for something, you
will fall for anything.

USE CITATIONS WHEN PARAPHRASING.
Make sure you’re conveying the main idea without using “too
much of the source’s language or word order,” said Darren
Harris-Fain, Chair in the Department of English and
Philosophy at Auburn University at Montgomery. He also
recommends using quotation marks when using someone’s exact
words, and use your own words when translating the source’s
ideas.

Real world advice: “Take your writing courses seriously,”
said Fain. In them, you’ll learn everything you need to know
about how to properly paraphrase, avoid plagiarism and your
teacher’s expectations for success.

“Unlike high school, we report every instance of plagiarism to our academic affairs office, and if students
are repeat offenders, they may be dismissed from the
university. In addition, if a student receives an F for a
course because of plagiarism, this is noted on