Plagiarism: What It Is and How To Prevent It

While most definitions for plagiarism are very similar, centering on the notion of taking another's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own, in practice, it can come in many different forms. These forms can range from the outright copying of someone else's complete work to the use of quotes from someone else without properly attributing them; from doing someone else's exams or term papers to the buying of essays from Internet paper mills.

Another problem related to plagiarism is that it is so seldom reported either by other students or by teachers. Students argue that it is none of their business or that they do not have proof. Teachers are concerned about legal issues, their workload, that cheating is so endemic there is no way to stop it, or that they get no support. Petress (2003) cites the case of a Kansas teacher who failed students she caught cheating but who was rebuked by the school board and had her decisions struck down.

Numerous studies have been done on the identification of plagiarism especially in the area