2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
“Your work is close to perfection. Too bad you didn't write it. I too am a Google pro. Your rating: 0%. P. S. Give me your signed copy at the next class. »
What a surprise Frédéric's mother, 15, had when she read this message. How could such a thing happen? How could it have been avoided?
What is plagiarism?
Let's start by describing what plagiarism is. According to the definition of the Petit Robert, it consists in "appropriating the words or ideas of someone else and presenting them as one's own".
Some examples of plagiarism
- Copy verbatim a passage from a document, whether paper or electronic, without putting it in quotation marks or without mentioning the source.
- Insert images, graphics or data without indicating their source.
- Summarize someone's original idea in their own words (paraphrase), but omit attribution.
- Translate all or part of a text without mentioning its source.
- Using another person's work (even if big brother has given permission) and presenting it as his own.
- Buying a job on the web (yes, yes, it'spossible!).
Why plagiarize?
Young people plagiarize for several reasons. Knowing them makes it possible to act effectively in order to stop the problem.
Organization problem
“Mom, it’s not my fault. My teacher didn't give us enough time to do our homework. This excuse, unfortunately, we hear too often. Good news: helping your child plan their time should be enough to prevent such a situation from happening again.
Expectations too high
What are your expectations of your child? If they exceed his abilities, he may have resorted to plagiarism in order to obtain the target grade. It may be time to lower your expectations. After all, the most important thing is the effort he puts in every day to succeed. In the long run, it always pays off.
Ignorance of best practices
One of the best ways to prevent plagiarism is to inform and educate young people about respect for intellectual property. Why cite sources? When do you have to cite your sources? How to cite your sources? How to paraphrase? Teachers should be able to answer all of these questions. Ask the school administration: an information document may be available.
Ignorance of the consequences of plagiarism
Most schools have a code of conduct or policy that governs plagiarism. Consult it with your teenager in order to know the consequences:detention, loss of points for the plagiarized part, resumption of work with a maximum mark of 60%, suspension… A warned student is worth two!
In closing, ignoring or trivializing your future adult's plagiarism would be doing them a disservice. If you don't confront him, he'll think his behavior is okay, which it isn't. He cheated: he must bear the consequences.
