Policing Plagiarism
You may have done it before. You may have even done it dozens of times. And if you haven't, you might have at least thought about it. Now, though, you're risking a lot if you do it, especially your academic future.
What are we talking about? Digital plagiarism…copying from the Internet.
Time does not stand still
Plagiarism has been around a long time. Don't you remember the focus your teachers put on assembling your references and your bibliographies perfectly? It wasn't just busy work. It was about giving credit where credit was due. Ten years ago, it was a lot harder to prove plagiarism, but the times, as they say, are a' changin'.
With the rapid ascent of technology, media, and electronic reference, plagiarism is resurfacing in today's news with a modern twist. The Internet has created easy access to the right words for a great essay. Point, click, copy, paste. So easy — and who would ever know?
C'mon now. With technology advancing as fast as a teenager's shoe size, it was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to catch a copier.
Smart software
There's some old saying about things coming back to haunt you, and one could make that case when it comes to digital plagiarism. So much has been uploaded and downloaded that there are now digital records of thousands, perhaps millions, of electronic essays and term papers available online.
Author: Amy Ambler
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