Tech

Plagiarism and Programming- Why the Sudden Rise?

Plagiarism and programming have become interrelated. People often use source code from another person and claim it as their own. One can trace back the history of programming plagiarism since the 1990s. The increase of plagiarism in academic programming coursework is visible. Educators have a more significant role in mitigating programming plagiarism.

Code plagiarism checker contains open sources that are free and accessible to anyone. Collaboration is standard in the world of software development. Programming projects are given to work on for individual assessment in academic coursework. Codes are there to attribute to original work. 

Everyone has his view, and the difference is noticeable. Students are supposed to demonstrate their knowledge to instructors with original ideas. There are numerous permits and licenses for reuse. Programming coursework does not match the collaborative nature of programming industry approaches.

Types of Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the act of copying someone else’s creative work. It could be either intentional or unintentional. There are different types of plagiarism. 

  • For example, direct plagiarism is nothing but the transcription of word-for-word of a particular work. Deliberate plagiarism is academically unethical and dishonest. 
  • Self-plagiarism is the copying of one’s previous works. 
  • Accidental plagiarism occurs when someone misquotes the quotes or neglects to cite the sources of their borrowing. 
  • Lastly, mosaic plagiarism is about borrowing phrases. It does not include quotation marks. People often use synonyms that are unlikely to change the content’s original meaning or structure. Incorporating some portions from another author’s writing is permissible but only against the attribution of the sources. 

  • Some Facts and Information About Visual Plagiarism

Visual plagiarism also includes copying photography, artwork, and logos. The causes of plagiarism are many. 

According to the Council of Writing Program Administrators, students take refuge in plagiarism because of poor time management, fear of failure, disregard of consequences, and carelessness. 

Benefits of Readily Available Solutions:

There are plagiarism checker tools available online to avoid plagiarism. The words and ideas an author uses often get considered as his/her intellectual property. None should borrow them without his/her knowledge. To avoid plagiarism is not tough these days as various plagiarism detection software and free plagiarism checkers are available online.

The anti-plagiarism software helps prevent accidental plagiarism, just as the corrective tools for grammar mistakes help correct grammatical mistakes in a hassle-free way.

What Can The Educators Do Prevent Plagiarism?

Paraphrasing is academically immodest. It destroys academic integrity. Sometimes, students paraphrase sentence structures or similar words unintentionally.

There are copyright infringement laws to sue a man guilty of plagiarism. It is legal to impose fines and other penalties on plagiarists. Plagiarism in higher studies comes under the category of academic dishonesty. Students must take a proactive approach before submitting their papers. Educators can conduct various workshops and seminars to make students aware of the repercussion of plagiarism. 

Thesis checkers must be careful about plagiarism. They should:

  • form the rules to define collaboration vs. collusion
  • emphasize on policies
  • brainstorm and make unique and original code
  • use software to review and assess the integrity
  • give feedback to students on the intermediate due date to help them learn

Educators have the right not to promote a grade to their students guilty of plagiarism. The consequences could also be assignment-specific. Plagiarism may lead to course failure. If a student is ignorant of the result of plagiarism, the punishment could not be so harsh. However, in extreme cases, plagiarists face severe legal consequences. 

Training and discipline are mandatory to combat plagiarism amongst students. Moreover, educators have a crucial role in imparting morality to their disciples. They should be critical and demanding regarding the campus judicial system, ethical code of conduct, and legal ramifications for copyright violation. 

A plagiarised thesis can damage one’s reputation. Educators, if required, may place the accused on disciplinary probation. The act of dissertation in academia is an offense that comes under the academic integrity code violation. Educators have the right to dismiss a student from the university or expel him from the course.

The misdemeanor offenses include a lump sum fine or a jail term for someone alleged to plagiarism. An accused is supposed to bear ethical, personal, and professional consequences for conducting plagiarism.