The issue of plagiarism is of great concern to professors. Although nothing can justify plagiarism, one of the ways to avoid it is to know the reasons that can lead a student to plagiarize. Here are some examples.
TEAM WORK - DID YOU KNOW THAT... If a team member cheats in a group project or assignment, all members of the group could be sanctioned. The prospect of sanctions for the whole team is sometimes taken lightly by students who think only the culprit will be sanctioned. |
POOR TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS
During a term, students experience periods when the workload intensifies. The use of illegal methods can be perceived as the magic solution that will allow them to obtain a high grade.
COPY/PASTE
If a student finds information on the Internet, copies it into a document, but fails to write down its source, they might not be able to retrieve the source later on. By using information sources and not citing them, the student plagiarizes.
COMPETITIVENESS
To obtain a scholarship, students must distinguish themselves by their excellent academic results. A competitive student might be tempted to plagiarize or to use specialized online writing services.
KNOW-HOW AND CREATIVITY
Instead of using their creativity and know-how to write an assignment, a student who feels unable to match the quality of the writing in a source found on the Internet might decide to plagiarize.
SELF ESTEEM / LACK OF CONFIDENCE
The student uses the work of a colleague with better academic results, and passes it off as their own.
MIMETISM
If a student realizes that a colleague or friend plagiarizes, they might be tempted to imitate them, thinking, "Everyone else is doing it, so I can do it too".
ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION SOURCES
Nowadays, there are many sources of information available on the Internet. Believing that the professor will not be able to retrieve the plagiarized information, the student might think she will not be caught.