I found my first case of plagiarism this semester.
After all the explaining of what constitutes plagiarism, after all the examples in class regarding how to properly document sources and avoid plagiarism and after all the threats of what would happen if I caught someone plagiarizing, did this student really think that I would not catch it? Did she think that I would not notice the one perfectly written paragraph taken from her textbook buried in a sea of unintelligible gibberish?
I am insulted!
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
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6 comments:
heh, she took it straight from the textbook? that's pretty lazy.
My favorite is when students steal from easy-to-google sites like Wikipedia. Oh, and when confronted, claim that they simply 'forgot to provide citations.' Gah.
Oh yes, they really do think they won't get caught.
Once, I gave back a paper that I had annotated every single paragraph with the website where it had come from (I guess she thought by mixing up several websites she wouldn't get caught) and then written a big fat F on the last page. Possibly the most satisfying F I've ever given. She did not challenge it.
Ugh, I'm so sorry. I hate dealing with this crap so much. But then, I am starting to hate everything about teaching that isn't actual classroom teaching. All this classroom management, behavior management, emotional management, plagiarism management, stuff just chaps my hide. Why can't they just behave?
Imagine dealing with student plagiarists in a law school. They actually try to argue that their copying without attribution isn't plagiarism.
The Continental Op, Shelly Malone and Bella Sultane: Welcome to the Waiting Room! Thanks for stopping by. I will stop by your sites soon!
Blithering: Yeah, she could have been a little more creative. See Brazen’s comment!
Shelly Malone: I had a student who did the exact same things a few semesters ago! She claimed that she did not know it was a pay for paper site!
Bella Sultane: Or they say "I didn't know I was supposed to cite that!"
Dr. Brazen: Mixing websites...that’s bold.
Shrinky: Or use their skills for good instead of evil! I am tired of my students too!
CO: I went to law school and really can’t image it. Those students are going to have a tough time explaining that to the character and fitness committee for the state bar!
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