Plagiarism is defined as an act of perpetuating literary theft (Kenny, 2007). In the article Student plagiarism and professional practice, by Deborah Kenny, the author suggests that plagiarism occurs when an individual intentionally or unintentionally uses another writer’s words, ideas, and information without acknowledging his or her sources. With increased internet connectivity, the author asserts that students have increased access to numerous resources for their studies. Through this, plagiarism has been on the increase with most learners copy-pasting texts from the internet and alleging them as their own (Roberts 2008). With increased pressures from studies and work, the author claims that students should be vigilant to avert the violation. This paper summarizes and analyses the article Student Plagiarism while highlighting the implications of plagiarism.
In the article, the author extensively covers plagiarism’s definition, causes, consequences, and preventive measures. In the article, the author illustrates several instances that amount to plagiarism (Kenny, 2007). The author attributes plagiarism to inappropriate citations, lack of citations, modifying someone’s writings without accrediting his or her efforts, buying essays and copy-pasting someone’s work (Kenny, 2007). According to the author, more than 30% of the students copy-paste information from the internet without acknowledging their sources.
Throughout the article, the author strongly condemns plagiarism. She is perplexed that even students from professions such as nursing plagiarize their work. To her, before anyone decides to pursue nursing as a profession, he or she should have the ability to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. In her opinion, nurses should be morally upright (Kenny, 2007). Through the article, the author illustrates numerous reasons why students and writers plagiarize their works. One of the major reasons she suggests is students’ rush to beat strict deadlines. When students hurry to complete their assignments, it is common for them to violate several writing rules among them is plagiarism (Cvetkovic & Anderson, 2010). Similarly, some students do not differentiate between research and plagiarism, thus during their research writings, such students tend to plagiarize unintentionally.
In the paper, the author indicates that she has been a victim of plagiarism with her work having been copied in a journal. Having been a victim, Kenny asserts that she has decided to be a role model for her students. To her, nurse educators should advocate for academic integrity. The author’s opinions are worth noting since plagiarism has severe consequences for those involved. For instance, plagiarism denies students skills and knowledge for their future use. Students who plagiarize their works are usually at loggerheads with their school administrators and teachers. Teachers would like their students to output their efforts for ease of evaluation. As a result, students who plagiarize their works may be blacklisted or dismissed from their respective universities. Since plagiarism results from the theft of other writers’ knowledge or ideas, the act is considered unethical. Equally, when students are accused of plagiarism, they cast doubts on their past academic records. Legally, plagiarism amounts to copyright violation. In such instances, a person accused of plagiarism risks possible lawsuits (Cvetkovic & Anderson, 2010).
In nursing, sincerity and credibility are paramount. In this regard, Kenny urges all nursing students to avoid plagiarism at all costs. Given the repercussions involved, Kenny advises learning institutions to develop relevant policies and strategies to reduce the vice. Similarly, students should be fully accustomed to plagiarism prevention techniques. In this regard, students should not only produce unique writings but also present documented writings with appropriate citations (Kenny, 2007). Lastly, the author urges all instructors to lead by example by condemning plagiarism.
References
Cvetkovic, V. B., & Anderson, K. E. (2010). Stop plagiarism: a guide to understanding and prevention. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Kenny, D. (2007). Student plagiarism and professional practice. Nurse Education Today 27 (1), 14–18. Web.
Roberts, T. S. (2008). Student plagiarism in an online world: problems and solutions. Hershey, Central Queensland University, Australia.