The importance of consistent formatting to avoid plagiarism Plagiarism is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. St. Lawrence College takes plagiarism very seriously, as they should. If students aren’t taught that plagiarism is absolutely wrong now, what stops them from doing it in the future with bigger and harsher consequences? Some students don’t even know what plagiarism is in order to prevent it. So, what is plagiarism, why do people plagiarize? How can instructors stop it? How important is it to give credit? Plagiarism is the act of taking someone else’s words and trying to pass them off as their own. Whether one plagiarized on purpose or by accident the consequences will still be the same. That’s why taking things off of the internet or from a book is a bad …show more content…
Plus teachers will be able to find out if cheating occurred. In fact, according to Dorothy L. R. Jones (2011), “Many institutions of higher education have adopted academic honesty policies, instituted academic integrity tutorial completion prerequisites for next term registration, and acquired plagiarism software detection tools; however, the research overwhelmingly confirms that the Internet provides an array of opportunities for students to cheat—whether intentionally or not” (p. 141-142). Although cheating may seem enticing, especially when the initiative to write is gone. It is not something worth getting kicked out of school for. In the long run, it is probably better to just pick up a pen and write in one’s own words or learn how to cite correctly. Even though the risks of being caught are high, students still try and plagiarise hoping that their paper is the