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Academic Integrity
The University of Virginia, whose student honor code dates from 1842, weathered a plagiarism
scandal in May 2001, when 122 students were accused of copying research papers (“Cheating”). Virginia
is not unique. Increasingly, universities are taking a get-tough stance against student plagiarism and
cheating. Why? College students are welcomed into a worldwide academic community, one with a
collegial atmosphere and high standards of academic integrity. Plagiarism is a serious violation of this
integrity. In the words of a University of Colorado professor, plagiarism is “literary theft” (Silverman 12).
At St. Louis Community College (STLCC), the Faculty Resource Guide states: “Plagiarism is a
serious academic offense. A student who deliberately or unintentionally submits as his or her own work
an assignment which is in any part taken from another person’s work, without proper
acknowledgement,
is guilty of plagiarism” (15). But how can instructors know that students are submitting their own work,
not papers bought on the Internet? Researchers make three suggestions: teach students how to
research,
assign unusual writing topics, and make students use a plagiarism detector.
Instructors must actively teach research and documentation. They cannot assume that students
have had this training because elementary school students sometimes copy whole articles from
encyclopedias verbatim (MLA Handbook 55). High school and college students often modify this practice
and copy whole paragraphs without giving credit to sources. Students unfamiliar with research need
practice exercises to help them decide what needs citing (Harris, Using Sources 13-14). Such practice is
crucial since research shows that “some students . . . view almost anything . . . on the Internet as general
knowledge that does not require citation” (McCabe and Drinan B7). Some STLCC English students must
staple copies of sources used to their completed papers; they must also highlight information used so
that
instructors know they quoted, paraphrased, or summarized accurately, without plagiarizing. Instead of
just dumping in quotes, students should learn the most basic rule of research: source material, whether
quoted, paraphrased, or summarized, supports a writer’s thesis by anticipating a reader’s questions and
need for proof. Thus, students should ask what a reader needs to know and which source best delivers
that information. Students need this hands-on practice in researching.
Another strategy for thwarting plagiarism is to rethink essay assignment topics: educators like
retired English professor Robert Harris challenge instructors to stop assigning the same boring topics
every semester (Plagiarism 124-5). Many STLCC instructors have already gotten creative. For example,
history students have researched genealogy and compiled their family trees. Psychology students have
analyzed gender stereotypes in color, theme, and sentiment of “Congratulations on Your New Baby”
cards. These students must do their own writing—these quirky topics decrease chances that students
can
simply buy papers off the Internet.
Educators also advocate using plagiarism detectors as a “psychological deterrent” (Gooden et al.
445). These programs, such as Turnitin, flag suspicious wording so that students can rewrite in their own
vocabulary and voice. Instructors want to reach inexperienced writers who plagiarize mistakenly.
Teacher
John Waltman defines intentional plagiarism as “wholesale copying . . . with the intention of
representing [work] as one’s own” and unintentional plagiarism as “careless paraphrasing and citing . . .
such that improper or misleading credit is given” (qtd. in Lathrop and Foss 163). According to Dr. Vicki
Ritts, professor of psychology at STLCC, some student plagiarists exhibit the illusion of invulnerability—
the “other students might get caught, but not me” attitude. Lafayette High School uses plagiarism
detectors “not to hurt students, but rather to teach them,” says English teacher Diane Tinucci (qtd. in
Plattner W4).
Intentional plagiarism disheartens instructors, who call it “an act of aggression, a taunt behind a
title page” (Silverman 12). Instructors see writing essays as an opportunity for students to learn about a
topic. Writing tasks can’t be outsourced. Yet some students ask why—if they’re too busy and find the
Works Cited
“Cheating Scandal Met Its Foil in U. Va. Leader.” University of Virginia News, 6 May 2002,
www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2002/hall-may-6-2002.html.
Gooden, Angela, et al. “Learning to Make a Difference.” College and Research Libraries News, vol. 64,
no. 7, 2003, pp. 443-454.
Faculty Resource Guide. St. Louis Community College, 2010.
Harris, Robert A. The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting and Dealing with
Plagiarism. Pyrczak, 2001.
---. Using Sources Effectively: Strengthening Your Writing and Avoiding Plagiarism. Pyrczak, 2002.
Lathrop, Ann, and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up
Call. Libraries Unlimited, 2000.
McCabe, Donald L., and Patrick Drinan. “Toward a Culture of Academic Integrity.”
Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 Oct. 1999, pp. B7, www.chronicle.com/article/Toward-a
Culture-of-Academic/15639.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7
th ed., Modern Language Association, 2009.
Plattner, Diane. “Rockwood’s New Plagiarism Software Keeps an Eye on Students’ Work.”
West Newsmagazine, 11 Nov. 2002, pp. W4.
Rimer, Sara. “A Campus Fad that’s Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism Seems on the Rise.” New York
Times, 3 Sept. 2003, pp. B7.
Ritts, Vicki. Personal interview, 3 Dec. 2002.
Silverman, Gillian. "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Plagiarism Buster! Brandishing a Red Pen in Place of a
Red Cape, I Fight to Rescue Words from Literary Bandits." Newsweek, 15 July 2002, pp. 12.
Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=morenetsccol&v=2.1&id
=GALE%7CA88731568&it=r&asid=461c2a2f719bad646c3e970a8c586047.

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Name

that information. Students need this hands-on practice in researching.

simply buy papers off the Internet.

no. 7, 2003, pp. 443-454.

Faculty Resource Guide. St. Louis Community College, 2010.

Plagiarism. Pyrczak, 2001.

Call. Libraries Unlimited, 2000.

Chronicle of Higher Education, 15 Oct. 1999, pp. B7, www.chronicle.com/article/Toward-a

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7

th ed., Modern Language Association, 2009.

West Newsmagazine, 11 Nov. 2002, pp. W4.

Times, 3 Sept. 2003, pp. B7.

Ritts, Vicki. Personal interview, 3 Dec. 2002.

Academic OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=morenetsccol&v=2.1&id

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