Plagiarism: Can It Be Stopped

413 Words2 Pages
Within the first sentence of this piece, written by G. Jay Christensen, the author makes the blanket statement, “plagiarism can be controlled, not stopped.” This sentence sets the focus point of the entire passage and is a statement I completely agree with. The author first identifies what plagiarism or cheating means to the student and states that given the opportunity, if a student has the opportunity to cheat, they will cheat. What can be considered a bit presumptuous or pessimistic, the author supports the idea with various examples, or scandals, to come out of seemingly solid institutions. After defining what it is to plagiarize and why a student may be tempted take the path of least resistance, the author attempts to identify the risks involved with “just making the grade” verses actually making value out of the content being taught, and it’s this identification that will create a domino effect within the guidelines to prevent plagiarism. In addition to re-creating or creating an ethical student, the author purposes inventing assignments that are built on ethical thinking and constructive content understanding rather than questions directly relating to “copy and paste” from a text book. What I found most interesting is the fact that author makes several reference to appealing to a student’s ethics by enlisting others to help curb plagiarism. It is obvious that when, very little, push comes to shove, students will throw away their integrity to make a grade. Perhaps it’s the professors that put too much weight in what college means to students. Whereas higher learning used to be a melting pot or harbinger for grand new ideas and scholars, for the majority of students – it is a means to an end. Do “well” in college, however “well” is obtained, and I increase my competitiveness and probability to get a high paying position in my career field choice. College

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