UNIT 10 CHAPTER 2 Plagiarism and the Internet

Before You Read A Some people feel using technology in the classroom has a negative
The Great Technology effect on learners. Read the following ideas and, with a partner, come
Debate up with one positive and one negative point for each.

using the Internet to do research

typing homework or class notes instead of writing them by hand

watching a video instead of listening to the teacher

using a calculator to do math problems

B Now get into two groups, one group representing the positive side and
one representing the negative side. Choose the best points from each
side and present them to the rest of the class.

Reading Skill A Read the following sentence from the article on the next page. Then
Identifying Meaning from answer the questions about the word in blue.
Context
While this kind of plagiarism usually happens innocently, it is still an offense.
To guess the meaning
of an important but 1 The word offense is a(n) (verb I noun I adverb).
unfamiliar word in a 2 Offense probably refers to something (positive I negative).
reading passage,_ try 3 In this sentence, offense probably means a(n) ___
the following: First, a crime b upsetting event c accident
think about how the
new word is related B Look for the following words in blue. Read the sentence containing the
to the topic of the word, and the surrounding sentences. Then choose the best definition.
reading. Second,
identify what part 1 In line 9, the phrase akin to probably means ___
of speech it is.Then a different from b the same as c a result of
look at the words 2 In line 19, the word well-meaning probably means ___
surrounding the new a intending to do something wrong
word for synonyms, b understanding the meaning of something
antonyms, or an c having good intentions
explanation of the 3 In line 47, the word automatically probably means ___
word. a independently b quickly c thoroughly

C Now read the entire article carefully. Then answer the questions on
page 183.

180 UNIT 10 Chapter 2

Plagiarism and the
Internet
The Internet is the largest library in the history of the world and a great resource for
anyone seeking information. But doing research on the Internet is not without its
risks. In recent years, plagiarism from online sources has become a serious problem,
especially among students.
5 Original written work and information are protected by copyright laws, like original
inventions. Therefore, when you reference or use information you find while doing
research, you should always give credit to the person or organization that produced it.
To plagiarize is to use ideas that are not your own without giving credit to the original
source, or to claim that someone else's ideas are your own. It is akin to stealing
10 someone else's work. For example, if a student reads three articles and uses ideas
from the articles to make his arguments in an essay without quoting or citing from the
original work, the student is plagiarizing.
Internet-related plagiarism has become such a problem because it is so easy to find
and copy information online. There are thousands of resources for students who
15 wish only to copy or cheat. However, the Internet also makes it easier for educators
to check for plagiarism. Often a simple Internet search for a quote will be enough to
expose copying. Some educators are more concerned about unintended plagiarism.
Because copying and pasting is so easy, it is becoming more and more common for
well-meaning students to mix up source material with their original ideas. While this
20 kind of plagiarism usually happens innocently, it is still an offense.
In addition to being a dishonest practice, plagiarism is a lost opportunity for students.
The Yale College Writing Center, which is part of the prestigious Yale University in the
United States, cautions, "If you paste in someone's words as your own, you will miss
the opportunity to add your commentary, and therefore miss an opportunity to grow as
25 a thinker and writer." The practice of writing is to share one's own ideas and creative
talent, but poor citation makes it unclear whether the writer is working out his own
ideas or just playing with someone else's.

Plagiarism and the Internet 181

 When working on a complex research
assignment, managing your sources can
30 become challenging. Here are some tips
to keep your sources in order and avoid
plagiariziing:
• Copy and paste important information.
The first step of researching is to gather
35 information. Be efficient and keep a
computer document named "References"
where you can keep useful information. Format the document so that each page
starts with the citation, prepared in the format preferred by your professor, and
then the important information you gathered from that source. Copy and paste the
40 material directly from the source.
• Print out important articles. When printing the whole document is not possible,
print the first page of the article, which lists crucial details like the name of the
writer and publication, and the date of publication. Then print pages that have the
information you need and highlight the most important details.
45 • use software meant for managing sources. Most universities and schools
provide students with free or low-cost software that is designed to keep track of
information. To save time, many programs will automatically format your citations
so you don't have to type everything out yourself.
• Insert citations into your drafts. Most word processing programs have a
50 "comment" feature. This allows you to add notes throughout the document that
aren't included in the document's word count and can be easily hidden. Every time
you quote a source, type the source's citation into a comment box. This will save
time when you have to compile everything into a bibliography. 1
• Double-check your work. In the same way that you review your work for clarity
5s and mistakes, you need to check that you have matched the quoted information
with the correct source.
1 A bibl iography is a list of source materials used in the preparation of a work or referred to in the text.
,

182 UNff 10 Chapter 2

A Choose the correct answer for the following questions. Reading
1 What is the purpose of this article? Comprehension
a to warn students about plagiarism and explain how to avoid it Check Your Understanding
b to give readers a complete history of plagiarism
c to show that the Internet is making plagiarism worse
2 Which is NOT considered plagiarism?
a The student describes someone else's idea in his own words without
giving credit.
b The student uses a quote from a book and forgets to mention the
original source.
c The student cites a few authors, then arrives at his own conclusion
about the topic.
3 Plagiarism is considered a "lost opportunity" because __ .
a students will not be able to cite or reference properly
b students will never learn to develop ideas of their own
c teachers will never know if the students are cheating
4 Why does the author include tips in the article?
a to help students organize and manage their references
b to show students how to use a computer for their essays
c to encourage students to revise and edit their work

B Answer the following questions using information from the passage.

1 How do you define plagiarism?

2 Why is Internet plagiarism seen as a growing problem?

3 How can teachers use the Internet to check if a student has plagiarized?

4 How can computer software help students to avoid plagiarizing

unintentionally?

C Discuss the following questions with a partner. Critical Thinking

1 Is plagiarism a problem in your school or country? Why, or why not?
2 Do you think a student who accidentally plagiarizes should be punished?
Why, or why not?

Plagiarism and the Internet 183

Vocabulary A Choose the best answer. The words in blue are from the passage.
Comprehension 1 A draft of an essay is one that is at __ .
Words in Context a an early stage b the final stage
2 You cite a source in an essay to give __ for an argument.
a evidence b your personal views
3 It is an offense for someone to smoke __ .
a outdoors b on a plane
4 When a door is automatic, it __ .
a opens by itself b needs to be unlocked
5 If I'm seeking greater clarity on something, I probably __ it.
a understand b don't understand
6 Someone who cheats is known to be
a honest b dishonest
7 Tasting food is akin to __ .
a painting a picture b smelling perfume
8 Which is an example of a person who is well-meaning?
a someone who purposely gives advice which leads to bad results
b someone who gives bad advice thinking that it is good

B Answer the following questions, then discuss your answers with a

partner. The words in blue are from the passage.

1 Some people think downloading music on the Internet is akin to stealing.

What do you think?
2 Do you think technology has made it easier to cheat in exams?
3 Can you give an example of something you did that was well-meaning
but eventually went wrong?
4 Give an example of an offense.
5 What do you do automatically the moment you wake up?
6 What references might you cite when writing an essay on disease?
7 How many drafts of an essay do you normally write?
8 What should you do in order to write with clarity?

Motivational Tip: Review your reading fluency progress. Refer to the reading rate
and reading comprehension charts at the end of the book. How would you evaluate your progress? Are you on
a plateau? Are your scores gradually going up?.LJse these charts as a way to evaluate the progress you are
making. What goals can you set for yourself as you continue in the next unit?

184 UNIT 10 Chapter 2

A Write the -ism forms of the following root words. Then discuss the Vocabulary Skill
meanings of each word with a partner. Use a dictionary to help you. The Suffix -ism
/'
Word or Root -ism form ""'
In-this chapter you
1 critic learned the word
2 mechanic plagiarism, which
ends with the suffix
3 sex . -ism. The suffix -ism
4 patriot can can-indicate an
5 Buddha ' action or process
6 vegetarian ..,j
(e.g. plagiarism) or
race
l a state or condition
1 (e.g. optimism). It
\..8 alcohol
can also be used to
refer to a religious or
B Complete the following sentences with a word ending in -ism from A. political movement, or
to indicate opposition
1 Hanging a national flag outside your house is one way to show your
to or intolerance of
something (e.g. ageism
2 Magicians use a box with a special ________ to allow means to discriminate
them to hide from the audience. against certain age
3 I practice ________ because I don't believe in killing and groups, usually older
eating animals. people).
4 ________ occurs when people judge others by the color of
their skin.
5 is a religion that is mainly practised in Asia.
6 When the company promoted a much more junior man above her, Lisa
complained of ________
7 If you drink too much beer or wine, you can develop an addictive
condition called ________
8 When a teacher gives students feedback on how their writing can be
improved, that is a helpful form of ________

Plagiarism and the Internet 185

Real Life Skill A Match each abbreviation with the correct definition.
Identifying Common Degree Definition
Academic Abbreviations
1 BA a Master of Science
2 BS/BSc b Master of Arts
There are many
common abbreviations 3 MA c Bachelor of Science
used to refer to 4 MS/MSc d Doctor of Philosophy
qualifications, or 5 MEd e Master of Business Administration
academic degrees, 6 MBA f Bachelor of Arts
one receives after a 7 PhD g Master of Education
period of study. These
abbreviations are B Complete the chart below with the correct abbreviations.
written as well as said,
and when spoken, 'A person who graduates from university with a... is awarded a...
each letter of the 1 degree in biology
abbreviation is usually
2 degree in education, one level above a bachelor's
pronounced.
3 degree in English
4 degree in business, one level above a bachelor's
5 degree in chemistry, one level above a bachelor's
6 degree of the highest rank, above a master's
7 higher degree in history, one level above a
bachelor's

C Discuss your answers in B with a partner. What kinds of degrees are

common in your country? What degree do you intend to work towards?

What do you think?

1 Do you think online learning will eventually replace traditional schools and
classrooms?
2 In addition to better organizational skills, what do you think can be done to
help students avoid plagiarizing?
3 Do you know any famous cases of plagiarism? What happened in those
cases?

186 UNIT 10 Chapter 2