Why Do Students Plagiarize And What To Do About It?
Critical thinking and writing skills of students are a crucial aspect of any educational curriculum. However, the question of “why do college students plagiarize” continues to leave many tutors dumbfounded. A student will extract texts from websites, copy and paste them, then submit it to his/her professor for marking. It feels like a slap in the lecturer’s face or a kick in his… well, any part of the body, isn’t it?
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Why do students plagiarize then? There are dozens of reasons, but here are some of the recurring root causes with reasoned pieces of advice to tackle them.
#1. Fear of Failure
Now, failure is not never an option for most students, especially with pressure from their parents. If you Google, “why do students plagiarize essay” you will get thousands if not millions of results in microseconds. Ever wondered why this is so? It is because this phenomenon has spread like wildfire to every academic level.
Students want to pass at all costs so that they can impress their parents or even avoid the shame of being at the bottom of the class list. To achieve this, they will go to all ends, chief being, plagiarizing. A student would prefer to copy and paste and submit rather than “think on his own” and fail. However, the results may be disappointing, especially with the available plagiarism software and the students end up failing still.
What is the Solution?
- Create your academic goals: Have a set-out guide for educational purposes can help students overcome the fear of failure and, in turn, stop plagiarism. Once you have your goals, you will be able to outline working solutions that will help you handle your essay assignment or academic paper well. If you have a problem doing this, you can contact our professional tutors to help you out.
- Hope for the best but expect the worst: This is a fundamental principle that enables you to trust in your ability and accept the outcome. Having high expectations may be disappointing if one does not meet them. You will, therefore, avoid the temptation of going to online sites and plagiarizing. Expect a good result, but do not become attached to it.
- Develop a “Yes You Can” mentality: The fear of failure goes beyond the challenges ahead or the effort required of you. The consequences later on after defeat are the real deal. Most students are not confident in their work and therefore resort to using someone else’s work, thinking that it is better. Once you know that you can also do it, the fear of failure won’t be a subject of discussion anymore.
#2. Poor Time Management
A famous phrase goes, procrastination is the theft of time. College students tend “having too much to do” and sacrifice their class assignments at the altar of other activities. When the task is due, they hurriedly rush to websites and copy other people’s work then submit it to their professor. You will find such students labelling themselves as those who “work under pressure.”
Are you still wondering why students plagiarize? Well, there you have it. Luckily, there is a remedy for this:
What is the Solution?
- Make a schedule: They say, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Having a program or a timetable will enable you to handle your essay assignment on time. For instance, you can try this sample schedule after school: take a shower –-complete my homework – watch my favourite cartoon programme
- Never Procrastinate: It is better to handle your assignments as soon as possible. You never know what other activity may pop up to distract your schedule. Doing the essay on time prevents you from plagiarizing and getting your essay returned or under marked for low quality.
- Stay away from distractions: Distractions can come in many forms. Your phone, that favourite movie series, or a game you enjoy playing can be the possible distractions. All these can eat up the time needed to complete your assignment and leave you running to plagiarize. My simple advice; stay away from them!
#3. The belief of Not Getting Caught
Ever had that false confidence that no one is watching you and therefore, you won’t get caught? Well, let me assure you that there is always a third eye, hidden somewhere spying on you. You’ve heard of the phrase that “walls have ears” well, they have eyes too. Just because you have plagiarized on one or two occasions without getting caught doesn’t mean that you are off the hook. The worst is yet to come.
It this false illusion that that encourages more students to continue with this dubious act of plagiarism. If you would like to make a turnaround, here is what you need to consider:
What is the Solution?
- Practice integrity: Integrity dictates that you should be honest with yourself and show a consistent adherence to the laid down values, principles, and morals. Once you get this right, the temptation of plagiarizing without getting caught will not be a card on the table for you.
- Know that there are plagiarism checkers: With the advent of technology, the software has been developed to curb any plagiarism attempt. Therefore, student’s realization of this will reduce that false belief of not getting caught after plagiarizing.
#4. Disinterest in the Assignment
Some students find assignments “boring.” These calibres are the lazy ones who view education as a burden rather than something meant to help them. They, therefore, underrate assignments and give them to their friends or copy and paste directly.
What is the Solution?
- Incorporate the use of interactive assignments: There are many ways of making the tasks attractive so that students can have fun while tackling them. For instance, you can give jobs on topics that interest students, such as sports and games.
- Introduce rewards: Once someone receives an award, they are motivated to gain interest in the assignment. Instructors and tutors should, therefore, come up with rewarding mechanisms to encourage students against plagiarizing content online.
#5. Lack of Knowledge about Plagiarism
Most students do not understand the concept of plagiarism and therefore do it knowingly or unknowingly. The myths and misconceptions may also contribute to the persistent question of “why do students plagiarize.” It can be addressed in the following ways:
Teaching on this topic: Plagiarism should be introduced as a course to enable students to grasp it well. If students know this menace entirely, they would probably stop it if not, minimizing.
Understanding the demerits of this practice: Both students and professionals need education on the severe effects of plagiarizing. In essence, some of this includes permanent expulsion, resulting in legal battles, and fines and penalties.
Avoid Plagiarism At All Cost – And Get Writing Help
It is clear that plagiarism is no longer a secret; it is something that has blown out of proportion, especially in the academic world. Students from the majority of victims with some professionals also following suit.
However, not all hope is lost. Our rigour recommendations above make the question of “why do college students plagiarize” become a thing of the past. Moreover, there’s always an option to apply for the professional writing help and get a perfectly written paper from the top experts in the respective field.
Let’s do this together and help kick plagiarism out for good!
