James Norton
Fighting back against online plagiarism
A quiet, high-tech conflict has been simmering in classrooms across the world. In an online version of cops and robbers, students and educators have been using Web-based information services as tools in the ongoing struggle over plagiarized term papers.
Cheating is not a particularly new phenomenon. And while students have been using crib notes and stolen answers since time immemorial, Web sites stuffed with term papers have brought a distinctly high-tech flavor to the ancient art of fooling the teacher. And now, teachers have begun to strike back.
The problem is a case of too much information being a very bad thing. Thanks to the power of the Internet, students no longer need to hunt down a classmate, or rifle through magazines in search of tiny, disreputable ads. Instead, they need only type the words "term paper" into a search engine.
The response is overwhelming.
"Over 1000 free essays in the LARGEST Database of Essays and Term Papers on the Net!"
"All essays categorized, graded and searchable! Very Fast! Plenty are FREE!"
"We offer databases with both Reference Term Papers and Literature Summaries for low prices!"
The quotes above are just a partial sampling from the top five listings provided by Hotbot.com.
The sites themselves run the gamut from the semi-professional to the outright dirty. While The Paper Store offers "example term papers to use as research assistance and as guides," sites like The Evil House of Cheat are disturbingly frank about their goals and methods.
And while there may be something refreshingly straight-forward about a site that openly advertises "the top ten tips and tricks on how to cheat on an exam," it's hard to ignore the damage that these sites can do to the process of education.
As educators have become increasingly aware of the well-organized forces of academic dishonesty, other websites have joined the fray from the opposite perspective. Sites that exist to help educators battle plagiarized papers are coming online in increasing numbers, adding a fresh twist to the game.
The tactics of these anti-plagiarism sites are as varied as the marketing techniques of their competition. Some sites – such as Plagiarism.org – provide a soup-to-nuts anti-plagiarism program. At the behest of their teachers, students submit their papers to the Web site, with the understanding that their papers will be scanned and analyzed for non-original content. Those who fail the program will be exposed as potential plagiarists, theoretically motivating an entire classroom into behaving more honorably.
Barbara Glatt's site, Glatt Plagiarism Services, uses somewhat more personal tactics: students suspected of submitting non-original material are given computer-generated exams that test their memory of their own paper's content. Those who fail to recall certain amounts of content are presumed to have obtained their papers from an outside source.
Of course, as educators spend increasing amounts of time and money to ferret out plagiarized papers, they're spending less time teaching. And as students make use of the Web's bountiful term paper resources, they spend much less time actually learning how to research, evaluate and write.
The Internet's impact on education has yet to be fully assessed. One thing remains constant: online information services can offer an easy way out of traditional academic rigor. But they can also provide powerful tools for research and the organization of information.