Academic Infideloty Cheats on Cheater

By Matt Griesmyer

Earning a college degree is something that you achieve with hard work and determination.  
Balancing classes and homework with family and a job can be stressful, and some may think that a shortcut would be an easy way out.  A little copy here, a little paste there and bingo bango bongo, you have a complete research paper.  What was that?  You didn’t cite the source?  You have just committed one of the most serious of academic crimes—plagiarism.
Last semester, the University of Houston-Clear Lake saw an increase in reported cases of plagiarism regarding assignments on campus.  What is the cause of this?  Why do students feel the need to steal other people’s work?  
That is not an understatement either.  When you plagiarize, you are stealing from the author.  It is the same as if you worked hard on a contract job that you went above and beyond the call of duty for, got paid and put the money into your bank account.  Shortly after that, someone comes along and steals the money out of your bank account by assuming your identity.  Just as that would be a most heinous crime, so is the act of taking credit for other people’s work.
Why is it done?  The act of plagiarism is caused by many things, one of the most popular being laziness.
Laziness goes against the core values that must be obeyed while at college.  Yes, writing a term paper is hard.  Yes, you will have to stay up late and pull all-nighters and become more familiar with the Dewey decimal system in the library than Dewey himself, but to credit another’s work as your own by intent or omission is a much harder work in the end than if you were to do the work yourself.
The appeals process revolving around academic infidelity is extensive, involving appearing before a council, enough paperwork to extinguish a large rainforest and more trouble than it’s worth.  By the time that someone is caught and goes through the process, more time is spent in an office talking to deans and academic advisors than if the work was done legitimately and honestly in the first place.  If the act is truly done out of laziness, pick the path of least resistance and do the work correctly!
What are the ramifications of plagiarizing?  Well, it depends completely on the institution and teacher involved.  If it were a simple issue of a student making a stupid mistake, the student could just receive an “F” for the assignment.  More serious acts of academic theft could result in the student failing the class, being put on academic probation and having a mark on your transcript – thus notifying future schools and employers of the transgressor. Repeat offenders face suspension or expulsion.  
Thinking that the only cases of plagiarism involve evil-doing, moustache-twirling ne’er-do-wells would be a foolish move.  People can be genuinely unaware of the standards involved in crediting work.  What is the best advice that students can follow?  When in doubt, cite.  There are regulations involving what constitutes unique thoughts and what belong to others, with different style sheets for different degrees.  If unsure about how to cite sources and ensure proper accreditation, seek a professor or, if your campus has one, a writing center.  
It is true that people can commit an act of plagiarism out of pure ignorance.  Know that when you write any sort of academic or professional project and take ideas, concepts or research from another, it is absolutely paramount that you give proper reference to the works cited.  
Now, some people also plagiarize as an act of desperation in reaction to stress.  Students at this campus are under a different sort of pressure attending a college designed more for commuters than live-in college students.  The stresses involved can generate from keeping up with family responsibilities, class assignments and becoming overwhelmed by work or other commitments.  Know that while stress is a legitimate reason to find ways to make things easier on yourself, cutting corners by not doing your own work is not the answer.  You will create more stress in your life if you get caught doing a foolish thing such as stealing ideas and words.
Need help with writing your research papers?  Seek out the professor of the class or even previous instructors.  College professors have gone through similar situations involving writing papers and have great experience in referencing research.  If you feel you need more help, go see the aforementioned writing center.  Again, they are in place strictly to assist students with their writing needs.  If you are stressed with your life, there are also provisions in place to give help where it is needed; you can see the school counseling center or, again, talk to the professors.  There is no need to fall into the foolish and terrible habit of plagiarizing other people’s work to help yourself out…in the end, the only thing that gets cheated is the cheater.