What are the Causes of Plagiarism and the Failure to Use and Document Sources Appropriately?
Students who are fully aware that their actions constitute plagiarism for example, copying published information into a paper without source attribution for the purpose of claiming the information as their own, or turning in material written by another student are guilty of academic misconduct. Although no excuse will lessen the breach of ethical conduct that such behavior represents, understanding why students plagiarize can help teachers to consider how to reduce the opportunities for plagiarism in their classrooms. • Students may fear failure or taking risks in their own work. • Students may have poor time-management skills or plan poorly for the time and effort required for research-based writing, and feel they have no choice but to plagiarize. • Students may view the course, the assignment, the conventions of academic documentation, or the consequences of cheating as unimportant. • Teachers may present students with assignments so generic or unparticularized that students may feel
