ARIL: PLAGIARISM

Sam-Ang Sam, PhD

PLAGIARISM

Have you ever written any academic

paper?

If so, have you ever copied and pasted

texts from the Internet (i.e., Google)

into your assignments?

Have you ever used someone else’s

ideas and information without

acknowledging the authors?

PLAGIARISM

Do you know that the two above mentioned

activities are unethical?

Yes, they are unethical.

The two activities are some examples of

plagiarism.

If you have committed it, it is important to

stop this practice, because plagiarism leads

to negative consequences.

PLAGIARISM

For those who have never written an academic

paper before, you need to be prepared to do it

correctly.

An academic paper is a form of written work in an

academic setting.

It is not like writing composition at your high school

which you can write from your own personal

opinions and knowledge.

Academic paper requires you to uses references to

support your arguments in your writing.

PLAGIARISM

Some students try to use short-cuts

when writing academic papers.

They often copy and paste what they

find on Google into their paper.

It is important that students stop this

practice; otherwise they cannot

successfully gain new knowledge and

skills.

PLAGIARISM: DEFINITION

Plagiarism is an act of stealing “someone else’s creativity, ideas, or language.”

It is considered to be cheating and a corrupt act.

In advanced countries with high standards of education, plagiarism is considered to be an academic crime.

But it often goes unnoticed in some countries, including Cambodia.

Babalola, Yemisi T. Awareness and incidence of plagiarism among undergraduates in a Nigerian private university (African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science. (22)1 (Apr. 2012), p. 53).

PLAGIARISM: PRACTICES

The activities listed below are examples of plagiarism. Note that they are not a comprehensive list of plagiarism practices.

Use exact phrases/sentences/paragraphs from other sources, including books and the Internet, without providing credit to their owners.

Use someone else’s ideas without acknowledging them.

Copy and paste exact phrases/sentences/paragraphs from your previous work into your new work.

Use your assignment submitted to a previous teacher to submit to another teacher.

Use someone else’s assignment by changing their name to your name.

Copy and paste someone else’s Power Point slides into your Power Point.

Ask someone else to write an assignment for you.

PLAGIARISM: REASONS

Students might commit plagiarism for several reasons.

For example, some may say they do not have time to complete their assignments.

Most often, it is not about lack of time, but about time management.

Since students are required to complete an assignment within a time frame, it is necessary that students make a plan to conduct research as early as possible, and then do it accordingly.

They should not try to complete their assignments at the last minute.

If they do, it will be hard for them to avoid plagiarism.

PLAGIARISM: REASONS

Another reason is group conformity.

When students see their fellow students plagiarize, they plagiarize too.

They assume that it is fine since everyone is doing it.

In this case, students give up their chance to learn, and voluntarily join a group that reinforces a culture of cheating.

If students develop habits of cheating in school, they may continue to cheat later in life and contribute to creating an unjust society.

PLAGIARISM: REASONS

Some students plagiarize is because they claim that they do not have enough English or writing skills to properly do their assignments.

In this case, students still can avoid plagiarism by seeking help.

PUC students can use writing assistance or English tutoring at the Academic Achievement Center.

They can ask reference librarians to help find the right resources for their assignments, or they might be able to get help from their peers.

PLAGIARISM: REASONS

By asking for help and using resources available to them, students have opportunities to learn research strategies and improve writing and English skills.

Learning new knowledge and skills is a process and time commitment. It takes hard work.

It cannot be earned by taking short-cuts.

PLAGIARISM: REASONS

If students are aware that they do not

have enough English skills to perform

college level assignments, they

should motivate themselves to

improve English by self-study and/or

get help from tutors at the Academic

Achievement Center.

PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES

Some students might commit plagiarism unintentionally due to lack of knowledge about plagiarism.

Whether plagiarism is unintentional or intentional, it still leads to the same negative consequences.

In advanced countries, the direct consequences for students who plagiarized include getting poor grades, failing the course, or being kicked out of school.

PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES

Plagiarism will not only have immediate consequences, but it also impacts educational, occupational, and personal achievement in the future.

When students plagiarize, they lose an opportunity to truly gain new knowledge, improve writing skills, and sharpen their critical thinking skills.

As a result, they cannot perform well at their work place.

This problem is reflected in many statements from Cambodian educators.

They often point out that Cambodian graduates not only need skills related to their profession, but also other skills, including leadership, critical thinking, critical reading, and writing skills to perform their work duties.

PLAGIARISM: CONSEQUENCES

Moreover, when students have a habit of plagiarizing at school, they may become accustomed to cheating and stealing, and accept it as a norm.

Consequently, when they enter into a work environment, they will bring this norm with them.

They may commit unethical or unlawful acts without feeling guilty as long as they get benefits. Ultimately, students who form a habit of plagiarizing may lose a chance for true success with dignity, while the country will be deprived of strong human resources.

PLAGIARISM: SCANDALS IN THE REAL WORLD

When you plagiarize, sometimes it can turn out very badly for you.

For instance, in 1988, the current vice president of the United States, Jo Biden, had to give up his presidential race when he plagiarized a speech that belonged to Neil Kinnock from the British Labor Party.

David Greenberg

The Write Stuff?

Why Biden’s plagiarism shouldn’t be forgotten? (Aug. 25, 2008) http://academic.luzerne.edu/shousenick/102--ARTICLES_Plagiarism_Biden.doc

PLAGIARISM: SCANDALS IN THE REAL WORLD

There have been many severe European plagiarism scandals recently.

Many high profile politicians have had to resign from their posts due to plagiarized work found in their academic papers and dissertations.

For example, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Minister of Defense in Germany resigned in March 2011, followed by Silvana Koch-Mehrinin, a vice president of European Parliament in May 2011, Pal Schmitt, President of Hungary in April 2012, Loan Mang, Minister of Education in Romania in May 2012, and Annette Schavan, Minister of Education in Germany in 2013.

BBC. German MEP Silvana Koch-Mehrin quits in plagiarism row

BBC. Hungary President Schmitt quits in plagiarism scandal

Business-review. Education minister resigns after plagiarism accusations

BBC. German minister Annette Schavan quits over 'plagiarism'

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

As you have read above, the consequences of plagiarism can be very harsh.

In European cases, they were not caught when they submitted their papers or dissertations.

They were caught when they became important public figures.

The European plagiarism scandals show that even though you may get away with it when you commit it, sometimes unethical acts cause problems later in life.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Since plagiarism only leads to negative consequences, including hindering academic and occupational achievements and hurting dignity.

So why do students want to plagiarize? Often students do not know these consequences.

Now that you are reading this handbook, and you are taking the Information Literacy Course, we hope you can avoid plagiarism.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Remember, your goal to go to school is not just to get a piece of paper that shows you have a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree.

That piece of paper does not mean that you have truly gained knowledge. It also does not guarantee you a job.

Therefore, you should prepare yourself and work hard to gain knowledge and skills by paying serious attention to your lectures, fulfilling all assignments ethically, and abiding by PUC’s policies.

DOCUMENT FILE LOCATION

File: L2_plagiarism.ppt

Date: 02/12/14