Web Technology UK

There is just so much data available on the internet. It's no wonder it has been called the information highway. No matter type of connection a person may have - dial-up, broadband or even faster - there is something on-line for everyone.

For students, the information highway opens up so many opportunities to research and learn. Granted there is a percentage of students that need to learn that the internet is not going to do their homework for them. Plagiarism has certainly become a problem since most students are now doing their research on-line. A much smaller number uses the library or other off-line sources of information. For this reason, many have become complacent about the information they use. Anything that a web design company works into a website is believed to be free to use, irrespective of copyright law.

Plagiarism among students should logically equate to more teachers on-line. They, too, are firing up the broadband and hopping on the information highway. Teachers routinely Google sections of text from student papers, verifying that they are original content. Others use websites such as Turnitin.com. Stemming from Turnitin.com is another site called WriteCheck which allows students to take upfront responsibility for verifying their research papers - checking for unintentional copying of material, improperly cited material and more. There are also many resources available at both sites to explain exactly what plagiarism is and how to ensure that one avoids the "copy/paste" temptation and pitfalls.

Parents are advised to also be part of this process. For some, it seems that a broadband connection is the equivalent of a driver's permit. When their children reach a certain age, they stop checking homework, stop verifying that assignments are being done correctly and, undoubtedly, many are blissfully unaware of plagiarism - until a telephone call or a note comes from the teacher and their student has failed a paper. While parents certainly don't have to be constantly looking over a shoulder, they should be prepared to make spot-checks on the student's progress, asking questions about subject matter and taking an interest in sources.

Not every student will be tempted to plagiarize. Many students are simply uninformed about the subject. It would be a smart suggestion that they do some research on plagiarism before they ever begin doing research to be submitted for grading.