Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Name

Tutor

Course

University

Date

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Abstract

Plagiarism is defined as using other peoples ' ideas without acknowledging . Effects of plagiarism include depriving owners of ideas of financial gains , lowering credibility of institutions as well as dwarfing generation of new knowledge . Detection involves use of specialised software 's as well as other means such as intuition of the lectures and tutors . Preventive measures aimed at curbing plagiarism include , adoption of anti-plagiarism software by institutions as well as instilling tough disciplinary measures to offenders . Sharing

of intelligence and information related to plagiarism as well establishment of policies in all institutions is recommended as an effective way of stamping out the vice . Plagiarism leads to loss of profits to original authors . Challenges in the fight against plagiarism include slow adoption to computer technology , and computer illiteracy amongst academic staff in some institutions . There is a need for new ways of fighting plagiarism such as implementation of policies uniformly across countries and enhancement of deterrent measurers ' as well tough punishment to those who are caught

1 .0 INTRODUCTION

Plagiarism is the single most threat to the thriving of creativity and originality in the field of writing . It not only suffocates knowledge but also dwarfs writing as a profession . Plagiarism has deprived authors of their hard earned income , in that , when their masterpieces are plagiarised , they do not enjoy the full benefits of their hard labour The vice has been in existence for as long as the art of writing existed , even in the ancient world there were great similarities in some old scripts of ancient writings . Of significance to this essay is plagiarism in the context of the 21st where the advent of the Internet has provided a fertile ground for plagiarism . Plagiarism can be defined as copying other people 's ideas or opinions and failing to acknowledge appropriately (East , 2005 :2 . This discusses the problem of plagiarism from a general perspective but in particular to students in institutions of higher learning such as universities and colleges Secondly the discusses in depth , ways of detecting plagiarism

2 .0 PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism has caused untold suffering to owners of ideas and opinions It cuts across the society and it is not limited to certain countries or institutions , from presidential speeches to journal articles , from works of art to music and movies , the problem is manifested . Plagiarism today threatens the very existence of the noble art of writing . It eats into profits authors would , otherwise derive from their ideas and benefits `outsiders

The commonest type of plagiarism is when an author in writing or presenting his /her ideas uses other peoples ' opinions and pretends that such are his /hers and blatantly fails to acknowledge the source (Wilson 1997 :98 . This is a common type of plagiarism amongst international students and it has landed many into trouble including actual revocation of degrees certificates and expulsion . It is worthy mentioning that plagiarism is not purely about copying texts but could involve incorporating drawings or...