I.

INTRODUCTION

In research, the goal is to produce knowledge that aims to improve mankind situation but technology has
grown so quickly that information has become accessible by everyone through the use of internet which
makes the issue of plagiarism even more challenging to the academic corpus in the digital era.

Plagiarism is defined as “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another
author and the representation of them as one's own original work.” This issue is known for many years
and has always been a challenge for the teachers and all schools. It is a serious offense which can occur in
two different situations, the first being when an individual’s work is passed off as someone else’s without
reference and the other is when someone’s work mirrors another piece.

The internet has provided many easy ways to a huge amount of information especially facilitating the
whole “copy and paste” tendency. On the other hand, it has also contributed for the creation of software
tools for detecting plagiarism. This is something that students must be constantly aware of since the
accusations of plagiarism can lead to serious penalties for academic misconduct. This research looks into
the growing problem of plagiarism and suggests reasonable solutions to it as it evaluates the effectiveness
of these solutions.

II. BACKGROUND

The academic problem that is noticeably on increase is Plagiarism. This issue begins right at school level.
“According to the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) exam board there has been a ‘significant’
rise in pupils caught copying work from the web”.

Unfortunately, there has been different kinds of cases where they have been exposed for plagiarism. An
example of this is the case of Professor Judith M. Okley, social anthropology in Hull, claimed her work
had been plagiarized in Isabel Fonseca’s book Bury Me Standing. There is another famous case by Dr.
Raj Persuad, a consultant psychiatrist who “admitted copying the work of other scholars for publication in
his book and in articles that he submitted.” This can have a negative impact as it filter through the higher
educational system as more people are accused of plagiarizing.

As people now have the access of internet at home, the rise in plagiarism seems to be almost directly
linked to the wider availability of technology. The technology use of commands that are “Ctrl+C” and
“Ctrl+V” which is the famous “copy and paste” has made it too easy for a lazy student to imitate words
from other authors and claim it their own. There has also been a drastic increase in ‘essays for sale’
around the internet. It is a service in which a student can log in and pick an essay from a catalogue of
subjects, or pay another specialist to write it for them. Though, there are also few of websites that offer
guidance and advice but the majority are essay writing businesses.
III. EVALUATION

The problem of plagiarism will never completely disappear but there are alternative ways that both
schools and students can do. The best course of action is for students to be introduced or to attend
compulsory classes that will spread awareness of the issue surrounding plagiarism. For back-up, the
schools should use the option to employ and utilize more of the technology that are available and have
their student’s work scanned and checked. That way it will help the students to get the best degree they
can and stop the school from gaining a bad reputation. Although, it would be ideal if all institutions have
the access for advanced technology similar to that, for some of the schools do not have the money or
budget for it. The cheapest option for schools is to teach their students about plagiarism in their
introduction week and keep enforcing the information throughout the course, that way the students are
aware of the severity of committing plagiarism and for lecturers to be conscious of the school policy as
well as their students who copy other people’s work.

IV. SOLUTION

Many schools have come up with different solutions to the problem of plagiarism but it appears that the
simple strategies are the best. Jude Carroll, an Educational Development Consultant and plagiarism
specialist at Oxford Brookes University suggests four ways to combat it.

Firstly, teach the students. Instead of simply telling them about plagiarism, show them how to paraphrase,
quote well, and set a few examples for practice. An added bonus would be for the lecturer and the peers to
give feedback to each other as points might be raised to help the learning process.

The students should be taught few basic English and grammar skills so that it can help them clear up some
errors and ensure that no mix up can occur when they are writing a research paper or an academic essay
by that every person who goes through education is aware that plagiarism is a criminal offense.

Another option is to teach that organization is vital. When writing any research or essays, the student
should keep all their notes and books together so that references can be made quickly. If the student gets
half way through their work and takes a break, any additional references can be added in with ease rather
than forgotten.

Finally, Carroll says, “Several studies have shown that students are less likely to submit work that is not
their own if they believe the teacher has made an effort to design and deliver the course and if they care
about what they are learning. A focus on detection and punishment alone could encourage students to
become ever more inventive in their attempts to get around a task they do not believe is worth doing or to
'win' against a teacher who is trying to stop them.” As Carroll points out in the same HE Academy article,
“Students are unlikely to be able to buy ready-made coursework that integrates theory and practice, uses
personal experiences or reflects on a case study you made up.”

Overall, the combat of plagiarism can change the way school assignments are assessed. Instead of having
research works which are easier to incorporate copied work, sole scholars have tested new projects that
means a student has to produce any work that is one-hundred percent their own. Systems like this should
be brought nationwide across all higher education institutions. It will eventually lessen the work for the
staff as they will not have to thoroughly check every individual’s work. It will also introduce a new type
of research which is seemingly less academic but actually means the student can get more involved in the
writing process and eventually it may lead to higher scores at schools.

V. CONCLUSION

Plagiarism is a common but an avoidable malpractice prevalent in the world. It can affect all from
students to teachers and from developing to developed countries. Students can notice it when reading their
‘own’ work while lecturers as well as students can point it out when marking. By being aware of the
school policy of plagiarism, it will help them learn how to prevent it. The various methods available
should be adopted as many as possible to reduce the burden caused by the problem. With the use of the
common computer aided tools to detect plagiarism followed by severe punishment to the guilty are one of
the ways to address this problem. This will help the younger generation to be prepared for their university
life, thus, plagiarism should be taught earlier on education.

REFERENCES:

1. Dictionary.com. Definition of ‘Plagiarism’

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism. Viewed on February 17, 2021
2. OSHIMO, A. and HOGUE, A. “Writing Academic English”
https://www.scribd.com/document/235941055/Writing-Academic-English-3rd-Edition-by-Alice-Oshima-
and-Ann-Hogue. Viewed on February 17,, 2021
3. BBC NEWS. “Worry at Web Exam Plagiarism Rise.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4965790.stm. Viewed on February 17, 2021
4. MALVERN, J. “TV psychiatrist Raj Persaud admits he copied work from books”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4153530.ece. Viewed on February 18, 2021
5. ARMITSTEAD. “Plagiarism is Nothing New in Academia from Guardian Blogs”
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/06/the_admission_of_the_leading.html. Viewed on February 18,
2021
7. CARROLL, J. “What Kinds of Solutions Can We Find for Plagiarism?”
http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_13513_en.pdf. Viewed on February 19, 2021
8. UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL. “Plagiarism”
www.bristol.ac.uk/tsu/studentsupport/plagiarism/#strategies. Viewed on February 19, 2021