Bob Bly Direct Response Copywriter Official Banner

Internet Makes Plagarism a Breeze

January 28th, 2008 by Bob Bly

A survey conducted by Rutgers Business School found that nearly half of college students said they were guilty of plagarism: using content in their papers that wasn’t theirs, without permission or attribution.

Of those, nearly 8 out of 10 said they committed plagarism either solely or mainly when using online research materials.

Reason: it’s so quick and easy to cut and paste the text from the Web site into their document.

Printed source material is plagarized less frequently — presumably because it’s too much work to rekey the material into their laptops.

Among high school students, who were also surveyed, 6 out of 10 plagarize, and 3 out of 4 cheat on tests.

Students felt little guilt about plagarism and cheating. They cited lack of time and the need to have high grades to get into a good school or job as ample justification for their dishonesty.

Another reason cited was peer pressure: the students felt that, with so many of their peers cheating, those who don’t cheat are at an unfair disadvantage.

What a world!

Share

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 4:38 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

48 responses about “Internet Makes Plagarism a Breeze”

  1. Joel Heffner said:

    While I was teaching a high school class an assignment was handed in that didn’t sound like it was written by the student. I entered the first sentence in Google and immediately came up with the original source. The student copied the whole thing! He added nothing of his own. It didn’t seem to bother his parents, either! That was the scary part.

  2. Ken said:

    I guess the survey shows that a human’s penchant for taking the easy way starts long before they reach adulthood.
    We are friggin’ lazy!
    And as for the stealing aspect…just like with cable signals, online music and movies, it seems that if it isn’t something physical, we don’t consider it stealing at all. How convenient!

  3. Fern said:

    I remember “rewriting” paragraphs from the encyclopedia for grade school assignments. Well, the encyclopedia said it all — really what could I add!?

    Perhaps the teachers could have spent a little more time instructing us on research versus copying?

  4. Riel Langlois, comic book writer said:

    I was tempted to copy and paste Joel Heffner’s response; when I was teaching high school this was a common occurrence. But I say the internet has also made it easier to CATCH plagiarists, and here’s why: Plagiarists are lazy.

    In the past, the teacher had to pore through all the reference material in the library to find the original source. However, now we just have to type a sample sentence (in quotation marks) into Google. It works. The student who is too lazy to write original copy is also too lazy to find a non-internet source to steal from.

  5. Melissa Beynon said:

    Questions to the teachers: What is the punishment for plagiarism? Is proper citation still taught, including internet sources? I was getting out of college just as the internet was becoming such a problem. Thanks!

  6. Fern said:

    Let me re-comment. My earlier comment referred to mindless assignments in grade school. I taught myself how to research and draw my own conclusions in graduate school.

    But I still think that (most) teachers don’t teach methods for research assignments.

    To answer MB: Many colleges/universities have a disciplinary process, usually involving a faculty-student committee.

  7. Dianna Huff said:

    I think the problem goes way beyond simply catching students using content from the Internet. (And it’s not just students — business people do it, too.)

    Too much stuff is “free” on the Internet — and because it’s free and easy to consume, we don’t value it.

  8. Stacey Mathis, Copywriter for the Parent Market said:

    Riel Langlois is right. Plagiarists are lazy. My English professor shared a story about one of his former students who plagiarized a piece by a writer and hadn’t bothered to check the name of the author; the author was OUR ENGLISH PROFESSOR!

  9. Jesse Hines, Vigorous Writing said:

    Like previous commenters have said, plagiarists are lazy.

    Eventually their laziness will get them caught.

    Irony is beautiful.

  10. Bob Bly said:

    Jesse: I am not convinced all get caught. And of those who get caught (e.g., Stephen Ambrose), are they really punished or penalized in any way?

  11. Copyvirgin said:

    I was reading something the other day on the bbc website, where students had not just plagarised, but plagarised badly. They had left the ad’s from websites in the text they had copied.

    Surely its easier (as i always found it was) to form your own opinions, find info that backs that up and make it part of your argument!? As opposed to having to go through someone else’s work and trying to make it look like your own work!?

    The fact that students have little guilt about it, just shows how they feel about their education; as a means to an end!

  12. Craig Hysell said:

    Do they still make high schoolers read “1984”? Would they cherish their free thought and indivduality any better? Maybe if Orwell was on MySpace and posted acted out chapters of his writing on YouTube…

    Dianna said “Too much stuff on the Internet is free- and because it’s free and easy to consume we don’t value it.” A valid point. Perhaps not to most of us because we remember what it meant to trudge to the library or pick up a phone when we needed something done.

    Maybe they should assign today’s students a paper once a semester where they can’t use the Internet as a source. Then again, “free” and “easy” are some very popular words among us copywriters…

    Was cheating always so predominant? How far back to the studies go?

  13. Peter George said:

    Ease and tolerance are two of the key factors in the swell of plagiarism. Perhaps lack of shame and accomplisment are equally so. In researching topics on the Internet, I have not only discovered identical articles with different author’s names, but I have also found one of my own articles being attibuted to another author.

    For obvious reasons, Bob, I found your post near and dear to my heart. So much so that I almost copied it and put it on my blog. (Just kidding!)

  14. Raj Khera said:

    We spend a lot of money on our web site, MailerMailer, writing original content. I’ve seen our checklists, articles, industry reports, and even our marketing material get chopped up and used as text on other people’s blogs. As a company, there are too many of these bandits to pursue. So, while the Internet makes it easier to plagarise and for plagarists to get caught, unless you dedicate a lot of resources to pursue them, the saddest part of the issue is that they often go unpunished.

  15. Bill Hilton said:

    Agreed with Joel and Riel. I used to teach, and you can usually spot plagiarism a mile off – providing you know the kids well, that is.

  16. Bruce Oberlies said:

    I have one processor management Vista which is related to the internet and I desire to exist clever to get the internet on my second central processing unit (that’s got XP) which is linked using a intersect cable. What do I want to set to live intelligent to surf the net lying on my subsequent computer?. The LAN connection is running well, I presently don’t recognize what to set and where to get the net functioning on top of my XP computer..

  17. Johnathan Urry said:

    Sign awake outward appearance meant for Joomla without all the bells and whistles?

  18. Evan said:

    I love all the posts, I really enjoyed, I would like more information about this, because it is very nice.

  19. Jon said:

    I know it’s rained a lot since then. Anyway if your operating system is Windows, I personally think that one of the most recommended options to recover deleted files is to use a software for an economic price that allows you to scan your hard drive in search of all files or those that you are trying to recover in particular (text documents, images, music …) In this article you are taught step by step how to use Recuva among others that you can also use to recover files erased by mistake on a USB. https://bit.ly/2kcY7UL

  20. apkdear.com said:

    https://apkdear.com/
    https://apkdear.com/lucky-patcher-apk/
    https://apkdear.com/gbwhatsapp-apk/

  21. Adnan Aslam Dar said:

    I have find this article very interesting and eye opening all really today every one is involve in plagiarism busy in steeling others content people feel its easy and shortcut way to fulfill their goals but this is wrong and dirty way of achieving success.Genuine content gives you inner satisfaction of achievement even took more of your time and efforts.Thanks best 2 in 1 laptops

  22. Susanne Underwood said:

    Internet is really important now-a-days, if you are using a tablet for internet connection, but having very slow speed of it, though the configuration is very high. Read this article about how to make my tablet run faster

  23. inewkhushi said:

    internet is amazing for now days people

    model wedding girls games mod apk

  24. william said:

    I think the problem goes way beyond simply catching students using content from the Internet.https://www.infobrez.com/saas-management-software

  25. Steve said:

    That’s true.

    If you are looking to buy house, you can search it on our real estate website:

    If you want to sell property online, you can list it on property India.

  26. YourPets Vets said:

    Our team of friendly and caring veterinary staff provides a compassionate and gentle approach to treatment and consultations. We aim to make your pet feel at ease in our vet practice. Our qualified team of leading veterinarians is all avid Itchy dog lovers, passionate about providing the best standard of care for your pets.

  27. Flowers delivery Perth said:

    Anette Hotger-Hill is the proud founder of AHH Flowers. Anette is an internationally experienced Master-Florist who trained and worked in Germany and accomplished her master’s degree in Austria. Anette managed a successful floral business in Germany and worked in America and other countries to widen her spectrum. Being an examiner on the board of floristry in Germany awakened her goal to come to Australia and pass on her knowledge to teach and create in the field of floristry to upcoming florists. Anette is renowned for her unique and creative designs and always discovering new techniques to keep up with current trends in floristry. With many years of designing and bringing her clients vision in corporate events, weddings, funeral tributes, and competition work it was time to expand. 2020 AHH Flowers is now a partnership between Anette Hotger-Hill and Nancy Amato.

  28. Stratco patio said:

    We are a Perth-based RHS Colourbond & Stratco Outback Patios dealer dealing in patios, carports, decking, and metal fabrication services and sheds. We design, manufacture, and construct outdoor home improvement projects; thus, Patio Perth, we provide all-inclusive outdoor space renovation solutions under one roof. We keep on rigorously training our team from time to time, so they can adapt to new technologies, methods, and procedures that keep evolving. Whether you are looking for a custom-built patio, carport, pavilion, or a new deck, we have something for everyone!

  29. Vodafone Business Centre said:

    At the Vodafone Business Centre Perth, we support small to medium businesses throughout Perth and beyond. Our objective is to help your business grow and support your communications needs and enable your business so that you can thrive today and beyond. Into the future. If you are doing business and you are getting lost day by day, we will help you for growing your business. If you want to do it so kindly visit our site Samsung Vodafone and get detailed knowledge.

  30. Itzeazy said:

    I like the post and the details given in the post RTO Mumbai

  31. Corwin said:

    We all immediately recognize the flat snoot, wrinkled face, and large expressive eyes of the loveable Pug. The Pug breed’s roots can be tracked back to Imperial China in 700 B.C., during the time of Confucius, when the breed wto an assassination attempt by Spain. Over time, pugs have been the favored breed or both royals and celebrities—from Napoleon and Queen Victoria to Andy Warhol and Rob Zombie.
    https://pugslandbreeder.company.com

  32. BROOKE DAVIS said:

    The best blogs are spontaneous but I don’t think you need to end every post with a question. Disneyland treats It comes across as trite. People are clever enough to know that they can comment on a post without you having to prod them each time.

  33. AHH Flower said:

    I’m Anette Hotger, I am a professional florist. I have 6 years’ experience. And I also write blogs or articles about handmade flowers, readymade flowers, different tricks of flowers, etc. I recommend you, If you want to get knowledge about flowers you can read my article and you can visit my shop. Visit link https://ahhflowersadwords.wixsite.com/my-site/post/arrange-beautiful-flowers-your-event-arrangement

  34. alyssa lauren said:

    Accidentally i have come across this website and am a little bit confused about the details shared here. This post shares details regarding Lab grown diamonds how the internet makes plagiarism a breeze. You have shared good information on that and keep sharing more updates here.

  35. Rios Cosmetics said:

    Rios is a multi-brand store providing amazing Lipsticks and lipstick shades. The store aims to provide satisfaction through high quality products like lipstick colour. Their lipstick shades are perfect and are just what you need Rios fulfills your every demand, with their items like Lipstick kits.

  36. toto365pro said:

    I really like the concept you have in mind. You really have a creative idea.

  37. sportstototvcom said:

    Whereas an unmanaged dedicated server is one which is managed by the company needing the server, without the help of the

  38. betmantotoorg said:

    Enjoying your article. Really very happy to say, your post is very informative. I never stop myself to say something about it.

  39. slotmachinesitecom said:

    This post is very simple to read and appreciate without leaving any details out. Great work!

  40. Rodgers21 said:

    Amazing Post, Thank you for sharing this post really this is awesome and very useful.
    rohan customer service
    west berkshire council phone number
    amazon phone number uk
    calvin klein customer service uk

  41. cavpshost said:

    Welcome to CaVPS Host, your destination for the cheapest Windows Server hosting solutions! With our affordable plans and top-notch services, we guarantee a seamless hosting experience for your website or application. At CaVPS Host, we understand the importance of cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality. That’s why we offer the cheapest Windows Server hosting options available in the market. Our prices are designed to fit your budget, making it easy for small businesses, startups, and individuals to establish their online presence without breaking the bank.

  42. BabyBoxShop said:

    Anticipation meets excitement with our Baby-to-Be Box. Designed to pamper expectant parents as they await their baby’s arrival, this box is brimming with items that create a sense of joy and readiness. From soothing teas for the mom-to-be to adorable onesies for the little one, this box captures the magical moments of pregnancy and the promise of the future.

  43. szzzac said:

    For me, this blog post is like a ray of sunshine. I really appreciate your blog post. If you visit your post you will find many approaches. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for posting posts like this and please continue to do so. https://szzzac.com/

  44. BabyBoxShop said:

    Our collection of neutral baby gifts is designed to cater to all babies, regardless of gender. Discover an array of cute and practical items that are sure to bring smiles to both the baby and parents. With a focus on gender-neutral colours and designs, these gifts are ideal for baby showers and other joyous occasions.

  45. iHost VPS said:

    Transform your virtual workspace with our VPS Virtual Desktop solutions. Experience enhanced flexibility and productivity by accessing your personalized virtual desktop environment from any device, anywhere.

  46. BSNS Consulting said:

    Business Consultancy and Services. Our team is committed to enhancing your company’s revenue and efficiency through comprehensive advisory, strategic planning, and process optimization. Whether you need help with market entry strategies or performance improvement, we’ve got you covered with end-to-end solutions.

  47. Tiptop-einrichtung said:

    friseurstühle are the chairs available for clients in a hair salon. They are designed to be comfortable and allow the hairdresser easy access to the client’s hair.

  48. We Buy Dead Stocks... said:

    We Buy Dead Stocks is synonymous with trust and reliability for scrap buyers Abu Dhabi. We have a deep understanding of the local market and the expertise to offer competitive prices for your surplus items. Experience a seamless selling process that prioritizes your convenience and ensures you get the best value.

Leave a Reply