E-plagiarism started when technology of computers expand. It carries with it its own importance and disadvantages to the academic society. The emergence of E-plagiarism is always on purpose, and fully understood by students who are actively participating in it. There is a difference between students who plagiarize and students who do not. Various authors views below has added new, refreshing views to the present numerous literary publications available on plagiarism.
Sutherland (2004) explained the difference between students who do not plagiarize, and students who did. She said,
"A student who attempts (even if clumsily) to identify and credit his or her source, but who misuses a specific citation format or incorrectly uses quotation marks or other forms of identifying material taken from other sources, has not plagiarized. Instead, such a student should be considered to have failed to cite and document sources appropriately."
She further explained that,
"students who are fully aware that their actions constitute plagiarism-for example, copying published information into a paper without source attribution for the purpose of claiming the information as their own, or turning in material written by another student-are guilty of academic misconduct."
In order to lessen the number of cases on e-plagiarism, educators first need to really understand why e-plagiarism happens among students. Students may experience personal conflicts such as expecting perfectionism as well as setting up an unrealistic high expectations for themselves, as a result from peer pressure or willingness to compete. While it is true, according to Auer & Krupar (2001), that,
"the proliferation of paper mills, full-text databases, and World Wide Web pages has made plagiarism a rapidly growing problem in academia", it is also true that e-plagiarism happens because of other possible factors. These authors argue that, "possible factors influencing student behaviours and attitudes toward plagiarism include ignorance, lack of personal investment in their education, situational ethics, and lack of consistent styles among and within various disciplines."
The emergence is E-plagiarism is caused by a few obvious key factors. Explanations on the importance of understanding the whys of e-plagiarism will be the root of curbing the new emerging phenomenon in the academic world, as well as to allow students and educators to appreciate and accept various reasonable justifications regarding this issue.
See also:
Tracey E Sutherland.,(2004)“Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism. The Council of Writing Program Administrators’ Statement on Best Practices,�Accounting Education News vol.32,no.1,pp.5-9
Auer Nicole J., and Krupar Ellen M., (2001) “Mouse click plagiarism; The role of technology in plagiarism and the librarian’s role in combating it,�Library Trends vol.49,no.3,pp.415-433
Harith 14:28, 7 Sep 2004 (EST)
