AssignmentRequirements: Length: This assignment should be at least 750 words. Th
AssignmentRequirements: Length: This assignment should be at least 750 words. Thesis: Underline your thesis statement or the main claim of your letter. Supporting Points: Plan to develop at least three strong supporting points to accompany your thesis and at least one counter. Each supporting point should equate to at least one body paragraph. Sources Needed: The essay should integrate at least 4 reliable and credible sources, to help prove the argument for or against a policy change. Be sure to use MLA guidelines for all in-text and Works Cited citations. While we encourage you to acquire sources from Gale’s OEducational Systems Need Plagiarism Detection Software Technological innovations and growth over the years have given people access to an unprecedented amount of information. However, this new era of technology and online information also brings up a problem: plagiarism. Plagiarism is caused by several different reasons. However, whether it is a misconception of proper citation and credit or intentionally due to outside pressure, plagiarism undermines the value of academic research and the credibility of learning institutions in which it occurs, and it is not something that should be accepted as a common practice.[SS3] Higher learning institutions should adopt plagiarism detection software [SS4] to promote a fair learning environment, help develop critical thinking skills, and instill fundamental values of honesty and morality.[SS5] To ensure that a post-secondary school encourages a fair and equal learning environment, plagiarism detection software should be used to prevent piracy.[SS6] According to a survey created by Donald McCabe,[SS7] a Rutgers Business School professor who spend many years researching academic integrity,[SS8] out of 63,700 US undergraduates and 9,250 graduates over the course of three years, “38% admit to paraphrasing/copying a few sentences from a written source without footnoting it. 7% self-report copying materials almost word for word from a written source without citation. 7% self-report turning in work done by another.” Researchers and writers spend exorbitant amounts of time researching and writing academic papers, and when over half of a selected student population inappropriately borrows content from these resources, some major plagiarism concerns exist and may be, unbeknownst to professors, slipping by undetected. It is only fair for students to not only respect the efforts of the researchers, but the efforts put in by their peers in projects and assignments as well. It would not be just if a student gains a higher score than a peer on an assignment if he or she plagiarizes the information or hard work of another person. All parties are affected: plagiarizing students may not learn the assignment’s intended concepts [SS9], students plagiarized from may later be in unfair competition for careers with il-equipped peers, higher learning institutions may suffer credibility status concerns when news of their loose plagiarism rules spreads to accrediting counsels, etc. However, if higher learning institutions implement a plagiarism detector software, professors would be able to better and more easily identify those who plagiarize and take the right steps to ensure that it does not happen again in order to maintain a fair environment for all students to learn. For example, Turnitin, which is one of the more popular plagiarism software, continually scores higher than its competitors in tests for effectively discovering intentional and unintentional plagiarism (Strumshein). Understandably, some critics are concerned about a plagiarism software that cannot distinguish between the two, but higher learning institutions are provided with guidance from plagiarism detection software companies, such as Turnitin, that instruct professors how to use the percentage match reports to draw plausible conclusions for both intentional and unintentional plagiarism so that instructors can then enforce their learning institution’s relevant [SS10] policies.[SS11] In fact, Central Coast University found higher instances of intentional plagiarism, more than they were able to discover years prior, during the first few years it implemented a plagiarism detection software. The following two years saw a substantial decrease in intentional plagiarism, and as professors learned how to instruct students to work with the software to weed out unintentional plagiarism, even unintentional plagiarism decreased. Remarkably,[SS12] one can deduce that Central Coast University was quite successful in creating a fairer, more equal learning field, and students will leave the university—one that can boast optimal academic honesty practice–feeling well prepared. Therefore, any higher learning institutions can implement a plagiarism software and see similar results—results that are immeasurably beneficial to so many parties instantaneously and looking forward.[SS13] Other than maintaining the integrity of both researchers and students, restricting plagiarism can stimulate a student’s critical and logical thinking skills to some extent. As technology advances at a phenomenal rate, information is ready at hand through a quick search on Google or other online search platforms, which is further exasperated by the amount of research required at a post-secondary institution. However, while it may be convenient, more and more students have the opportunity to rely on online information without doing any independent critical thinking. Because of this, “students do not clearly distinguish their own thoughts from those of others; ask them what they think on any controversial subject and they will simply repeat what they heard someone else say or what they have read” (Saalbach).[SS14] Simply copying and pasting or rephrasing another’s words can damage a student’s ability to develop his or her own opinions through critical thinking, and critical thinking is at the forefront of collegiate learning. If plagiarism detectors were to be implemented, students would be forced to sort through information, summarize what they are reading, and use logical thinking skills to analyze the information and form an opinion because while plagiarism detectors, such as Turnitin, cannot determine the degree to which critical thought has been employed, it is programmed to find verbatim excerpts, poorly compiled paraphrases, and the like, which is the first step in helping students reduce unnecessary or unattributed borrowed information and develop essays with as much original material as possible. Because professors would be holding students accountable in conjunction with the results of the plagiarism software (Tolbert), students will feel supported in their efforts to objectively analyze and evaluate an issue to form a judgement. The partnership between the professor and software encourages students’ growth in writing by reducing an otherwise intimidating critical thinking process. Lastly, a plagiarism detection software would lead students into making the right choice and building an honest work ethic. Many students today “face high expectations” from their parents, teachers, or even themselves to perform well in school in preparation for their careers (Tolbert).[SS15] As a result, these burdens can make students fear failure. Students may turn to plagiarism to ease their workload or perhaps make their work stronger to get a better grade. As Anne Tolbert, acclaimed psychology professor, points out, when students try to meet those high expectations, they often realize that they aren’t cut out to succeed at that level. This lack of confidence can lead to a psychological problem known as imposter syndrome, in which students feel as though they do not belong in their current academic setting. This can lead to plagiarism, both intentional and unintentional, as they try to mask their discomfort and lack of confidence in the classroom.[SS16] By implementing a plagiarism detection software, each student is held accountable for his or her academic performance. Students may have various drives for preventing plagiarism once a plagiarism software is incorporated, but regardless of that motivation, students are forced to consider the consequences and that committing plagiarism would serve as a barrier to accomplishing their ultimate goals—being expelled for committing plagiarism is a sure way to fail meeting the high expectations that some students feel compelled to adhere to. Therefore, a plagiarism software guides students to make moral choices and build fundamental values such as academic honesty, ethics, and responsibility. They cannot turn to the internet and others’ works and research; rather, they must do the assignments themselves and grow as virtuous students. With the internet being accessible to so many students today and the increasing pressures today’s post-secondary students face, plagiarism is becoming a growing issue. While plagiarism can occur unintentionally due to a lack of knowledge in proper citing or a misconception in what is defined as plagiarism, implementing a plagiarism detection software can only benefit students, as it points out their mistakes, aids in learning, and helps ensure better choices moving forward, not to mention the increasingly valuable benefits for the higher learning institutions that implement the software. Society at large, as well as future generations, can only benefit and prosper from graduating students who are not only well prepared, but who are also honest and conscientious of their decisions and the impact those choices have on others. It is nearly safe to say that a simple plagiarism detection software across university systems can serve as the beginning threads of a moral fabric that can continue to weave good decisions throughout various lifetimes. Without these prevention strategies in place, students will only continue making the same mistakes, unintentional or otherwise.
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