These are examples of essays about plagiarism written by our writers as a part of a writing contest called “Is easy access to information encouraging plagiarism?” Here are the papers of its winners from the first place to the third one.
The Plagiarism Paradox: Is Ease of Information Access to Blame?
They claim “imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” but they never considered a world that selfishly protects the ideas it can monetize. Information availability is necessary to acquire knowledge in every form, but avoid saying or writing it as previously coined. Easy access to information has been the epitome of the learning endeavor, but there is a significant concern about whether it encourages plagiarism. Plagiarism is a construct of ensuring information is unadulterated, but the blame should not be directed to ease of access to information but to the disseminator.
The advent of the internet has propagated an era of unfettered access to information, thus blurring the line on content usage. Distinguishing semantics and syntax used when picking content from other writers and transposing it has become a significant problem. In their study, Zouhir et al. (2021) reveal that understanding plagiarism has been marred by the inconsequential use of “free” information in academic settings. Students are especially prone to this effect because paraphrasing can be incorporated when developing academic content. As a result, the nature of plagiarism has become abstract when ideas are borrowed rather than copied in their entirety. The argument then becomes how plagiarism can be identified if the ideas are borrowed and morphed into new information while varying context and form.
Forms and points of access to information have evolved, which can be blamed for increased cases of plagiarized content. Šprajc et al. (2017) identified that students primarily blame access to ICT materials as the precursor to ease of copying. However, time spent on the internet was determined to have no relationship to levels of plagiarism. The study identified other factors including motivation to study, academic skills, and teaching elements, to influence plagiarism among students. Therefore, exercising prudence in justifying plagiarism as an outcome of more accessible access to information is necessary. A specific consideration is that even in the era of physical books as the primary source of information, plagiarism was still an issue.
The fight against plagiarism owing to easy access to information has increased in institutions and the general content creation field. Information availability contributes significantly to the propensity of students and other creators to engage in plagiarism. However, the act is limited to the culprit and should not be blamed on accessible information. As attributed by Levine & Pazdernik (2018), disciplinary and mitigation measures reveal efforts to mitigate this issue. However, plagiarism cases still persist and give credence to the assertion that information access is not the only attribute that influences these outcomes. Therefore, plagiarism has to be addressed in a wholesome manner that targets the individual and employs measures that will curtail any efforts to subvert policies.
It is irresponsible to blame plagiarism on easy access to information because varying motivations drive individuals. Plagiarism is fueled in part by the developments in tech and especially the internet, but this should not crucify it for the wrongdoings of individuals. It certainly has a role to play, but people are still willing to engage in the vice with safeguards in place. Imitation has always been by design in academics because some ideas and rhetorics can never be reproduced but can only be replicated with attached nuances. Ease of access to information should not be a scapegoat for all the lazy writing and duplicated content, but it should reveal the individual’s intent in being underhanded. Information availability has made plagiarism a significant issue, but people have chosen to engage in these acts of their own volition and motivation.
References
Levine, J., & Pazdernik, V. (2018). Evaluation of a four-prong anti-plagiarism program and the
incidence of plagiarism: A five-year retrospective study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(7), 1094–1105. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1434127
Šprajc, P., Urh, M., Jerebic, J., Trivan, D., & Jereb, E. (2017). Reasons for plagiarism in higher
education. Organizacija, 50(1), 33–45. https://doi.org/10.1515/orga-2017-0002
Zouhir, A., El Ayachi, R., & Biniz, M. (2021). A comparative Plagiarism Detection System
methods between sentences. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1743, 012041. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1743/1/012041
The Confluence of Easy Access to Information and the Escalation of Plagiarism
The widespread use of emerging technologies and the exponential growth of the internet have significantly augmented individuals’ opportunities to acquire information. The accessibility of knowledge presents indisputable advantages for the collective of society; nonetheless, it also engenders a significant predicament: the potential proliferation of plagiarism (Dickey et al., 2023). This study aims to analyze the intricate relationship between the wealth of information and the widespread occurrence of plagiarism, ultimately advocating for a comprehensive approach to tackle this issue.
Firstly, it is evident that the prevalence of plagiarism has escalated as a direct consequence of the widespread availability and ease of access to extensive material repositories. Individuals can efficiently acquire diverse knowledge by simply clicking their computer mouse a few times. Consequently, students, researchers, and professionals may find it alluring to directly duplicate and insert information without appropriately acknowledging the source. The risk mentioned above is further compounded by the potential lack of knowledge and proficiency among individuals in accurately citing the work of others.
Moreover, the prevalence of easily accessible information has been identified as contributing to the increased likelihood of plagiarism, hence fostering a culture that prioritizes immediate satisfaction. The contemporary, fast-paced setting significantly emphasizes generating work of exceptional quality within rigid time limitations. Individuals with a high workload may be inclined to engage in plagiarism as a strategy to alleviate their workload. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent within educational institutions, as students must manage several obligations alongside their academic pursuits. The accessibility of information enables the act of plagiarism as it presents itself as a convenient method for circumventing strict time constraints.
Plagiarism is made worse by the development of content aggregators (Amigud & Dawson, 2019). Pre-written essays and articles are widely available on such sites, which can attract users to submit them as their own. The prevalence of plagiarism is exacerbated by the anonymity and convenience of these platforms, which encourage dishonest behavior. It is becoming increasingly urgent to address these platforms’ ethical implications and to discourage their exploitative character as technology progresses strongly.
The availability of information, however, does not guarantee an increase in instances of plagiarism. However, the reason why its widespread popularity can be attributed to a shortage of knowledge and ethical concerns (Kooli, 2023). Hence, establishing an authentic learning environment should be considered a paramount concern by educational institutions, governmental bodies, and individuals. This objective can be achieved by implementing comprehensive educational programs that emphasize the importance of citation, critical thinking, and innovation. To further prevent and detect cases of plagiarism, educational institutions could implement technology tools like plagiarism detection software.
In conclusion, the proliferation of plagiarized content is most likely linked to the widespread availability of knowledge made possible by technological and online platforms. Some people conduct themselves unethically due to social pressures and rapid knowledge. A lack of understanding and ethical thought causes plagiarism, not a lack of information. The promotion of honesty and educational initiatives helps reduce plagiarism. The dynamic world of information availability makes combining pragmatism and ethics in the knowledge quest increasingly vital.
References
Amigud, A. and Dawson, P., 2019. The law and the outlaw: is legal prohibition a viable solution to the contract cheating problem?. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education.
Dickey, E., Bejarano, A. and Garg, C., 2023. Innovating Computer Programming Pedagogy: The AI-Lab Framework for Generative AI Adoption. arXiv preprint arXiv:2308.12258.
Kooli, C., 2023. Chatbots in education and research: A critical examination of ethical implications and solutions. Sustainability, 15(7), p.5614.
Is Easy Access to Information Encouraging Plagiarism?
Academic integrity is the cornerstone of ethical learning, where learners are expected to uphold honesty, trustworthiness, and the responsible use of information. It mandates learners to produce original work, acknowledge the contributions of other researchers through proper citation, and uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in their academic pursuits. Notably, shunning plagiarism is a key component of academic integrity and entails respecting intellectual property, effectively paraphrasing, and precisely citing sources to ensure the authenticity and credibility of one’s scholarly contributions. Easy access to information due to technological advancements has undoubtedly reshaped the landscape of education and research, offering a vast repository of knowledge at our fingertips and raising concerns about the prevalence of plagiarism.
The internet and digital libraries have modernized access to information, offering a vast repository of data, research articles, and academic papers that can be copied by students. According to Jereb et al., while the new technologies have empowered scholars and students to explore a wealth of knowledge, it has created an environment where cutting, copying, and pasting information has become enticingly convenient (3). Individuals can extract content from various sources without the need for rigorous research or originality with a few clicks, tempting them to plagiarize their work. Therefore, the easy availability of content that can be copied and pasted is inadvertently encouraging academic dishonesty, as some scholars are tempted to shortcut the process of critical analysis and synthesis, potentially leading to plagiarism.
Moreover, the pressure to excel academically, meet strict deadlines, and outperform peers has driven a subset of students to resort to shortcuts facilitated by easy access to information. Hasan and Naved state that some learners may succumb to the temptation of quick fixes, such as plagiarism or superficial research practices, in the pursuit of high grades and success (128). The vast pool of readily available information, especially on the internet, can inadvertently encourage cheating behavior, as students prioritize meeting immediate goals over deep engagement with the sources. “Such pressures sometimes push students to indulge in unfair means such as plagiarism as a shortcut to performing better in exams or producing a certain number of publications” (Jereb et al. 3). Thus, the pressure to perform can lead to a reliance on shortcuts by students, undermining the development of critical thinking skills and academic integrity for a well-rounded education.
Technology has provided powerful tools to control and deter academic dishonesty, while educators are emphasizing academic integrity to shun temptations to plagiarize among learners. According to Chandere et al., plagiarism detection software enables educators to identify instances of copied content efficiently and acts as a deterrent for students contemplating unethical practices (7113). For instance, some institutions rely on Turnitin to detect plagiarized essays submitted by students. Tutors are also seeking ways to promote academic integrity by teaching responsible research and citation practices. Teachers need to educate learners about proper citation formats, the relevance of originality, and the ethical dimensions of scholarship in the digital age (Hasan & Naved 129). Therefore, the digital information landscape necessitates educators to foster a culture of academic integrity and equip students with the skills to navigate responsibly, making technology serve as a force for ethical conduct and authentic learning in today’s educational environment.
In retrospect, easy access to information has transformed how we learn and conduct research, offering immense benefits and raising concerns about plagiarism. Technological databases have made copying and pasting more tempting, while pressure to acquire good grades makes learners seek easy avenues to succeed. However, technology has also provided tools for detecting plagiarism cases, acting as a deterrence. Hence, educational institutions and instructors must strike a balance between harnessing technology’s benefits and emphasizing the importance of responsible engagement with information to uphold the core values of academic integrity.
Works Cited
Chandere, Vandana, S. Satish, and R. Lakshminarayanan. “Online Plagiarism Detection Tools in The Digital Age: A Review.” Annals of the Romanian Society for Cell Biology (2021): 7110-7119.
Hasan, Naziya, and Naved Hassan Khan. “Internet and increasing issues of plagiarism.” Shrinkhla EK Shodhparak Vaicharik Patrika 5 (2018): 125-131.
Jereb, Eva, et al. “Factors Influencing Plagiarism in Higher Education: A Comparison of German and Slovene Students.” PloS One 13.8 (2018): 1-16.
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