Running Head: DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

Dishonesty and Plagiarism

Elise Ball
EDU 352: Foundations of Educational Technology
Inst. Wayne Portee
April 4, 2016

DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

The Issue of Dishonesty and Plagiarism

The issue of plagiarism and dishonesty became more prevalent after the internet changed
the way we acquire information. It is extremely easy, and getting easier, to research pretty much
anything through the use of any major search engine. While this ease of access has opened many
doors for information we otherwise would never have been connected to, it is problematic
because of the expectation of immediacy.
Students dont have to work as hard as they once did to find information about a topic for
a school project. Because getting the information is so easy and fast, this can lead to a sense of
entitlement, wherein the student doesnt feel they should have to do much to get an education.
Copying, or plagiarism, starts to seem more and more like an entirely viable option when
completing an assignment. And because the internet has such an enormous pool of information, it
can be incredibly challenging for teachers to detect this kind of dishonesty, even with the
assistance of current software programs. This also feeds into the likelihood that students are
gaining information that isnt entirely factual from questionable sources, because search engines
like Google or Yahoo lack the type of scholarly filters that databases like the Ashford Library
contain. Its incredibly important that curriculums are designed to teach students information
literacy and how to weed through unreliable sources. This encourages them to be smart
researchers and instills respect for work that other people are publishing.
Another reason its important to teach students early on that trustworthiness has great
value is because the use of software as a form of plagiarism detection also has its drawbacks. If a
teacher announces that theyre using this kind of software right out of the gate, its as if theyre

DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

announcing that they already assume their students are going to be dishonest. Its possible that
this can create tension and a sort of you vs. me energy in the classroom. Additionally, the
definition of what plagiarism even is continues to broaden (Datig & Russell, 2015) as the internet
continues to stretch is arms further around the globe. The waters in defining, containing, and
preventing these practices are murky as is, and are likely to continue to challenge educators as
time pushes on.
Setting clear expectations about citing sources and reference pages is a foundational part
of setting everyone up for success. Letting students know that it's okay, even encouraged, to
search for and reference reliable sources as long as they credit the authors is more focused on
giving them permission as opposed to putting them under restrictions. I think it's more
encouraging to frame it that way.

DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

References
Datig, I. & Russell, B. (2015 Sept). The Fruits of intellectual labor: International student views
on intellectual property. College and Research Libraries, 76(6), 811-830. Retrieved from
http://crl.acrl.org/content/76/6/811.full.pdf+html
Sisti, D. (2007 Jul). How do high school students justify internet plagiarism? Ethics & Behavior,
17(3), 215-231. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy
library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=48b6a4da-f7a2-40d2-8ed3
d62a5019ed26%40sessionmgr4001&vid=2&hid=4205
Walker, J. (2010 Feb). Measuring plagiarism: Researching what students do, not what they say
they do. Studies in Higher Education, 35(1), 41-59. Retrieved from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy
library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=93d5829f-9c02-4d5a-b902
9be72dc2edbc%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=112