Classification Essay - Three Types of Cheaters -- Classification Essay

Plagiarism - Three Types of Cheaters "Fools make researches and wise men exploit them." Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines the word plagiarize as to pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another. Every student knows that plagiarism is dishonest and wrong. Why do so many students do it? Students themselves may not believe that they are plagiarizing. Many students plagiarize because of the diverse types of plagiarism which are often unknown to students. The three major types of plagiarism are shameless, haphazard and self-plagiarism. Self-plagiarism is a relatively new concept that has not gained much attention in the student world. Shameless plagiarists are the ones who go through their entire academic career passing off other people's work as their own. In a majority of cases, these people do not get caught. Recently, a first year student at the San Diego State University admitted to her friends that she was turning in her uncle's essays for every assignment. She felt that she was not doing harm to anyone because her uncle would specifically write the essays for her. All this student had to do was retype the essays with her name on the top of the paper. According to this student, she is not plagiarizing because her uncle has given his expressed permission by consenting to the use of his essays. She has almost completed her first year at the school without even one teacher suspecting academic dishonesty. Although her friends and family members are appalled at her and her uncle's lack of scruples, no one has alerted the school or her teachers. Up north at Chico State University, a young man confessed to his friends that he sends his rough-draft essays to his mother for "proof-reading." His mother essentially woul... ...arism or else students run the risk of being found guilty of plagiarism. Students may think they know what plagiarism is but a lot more are guilty of at least one of the three forms plagiarism. References A Modern Utopia by HG Wells taken from The Economist (US), Feb. 3, 2001 p6 The Spinster and the Prophet. Merriam-Webster Dictionary p 530. Michael Spears (http://voyager.dvc.edu/~bmckinney/www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~mspears/plagiarism.html) New York Times Upfront, Jan 1, 2001, v133 i9 p10 "Truth or Consequences." Personal Interview with San Diego State student 4/2/01 Personal Interview with mother of Chico State student 4/3/01 Personal Interview with Carondelet student 4/5/01 The Christian Science Monitor March 6, 2001 p17 "Your work, or the Web's?" US News & World Report, Nov. 22, 1999 v 127 i20 p 63 "The great term-paper buying caper."