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This is a growing vice among students in our institutions of higher learning today. Most students in our local universities steal other persons’ writings or related academic materials and present such works as their original work. Academic plagiarism is when a person steals another person’s works and passes it on as his or her original work (Gigabit, 1998). 2. 0 What are different types of academic plagiarism? There are several types of academic plagiarism. According to Loveland Eraser (2012), there are six types of academic plagiarism. The first is partial plagiarism.
This happens when a person steals and puts together data from two or three different sources. The second is source plagiarism. This takes place when due credit is not given to the author one has gathered information from. The third is minimalist plagiarism. This happens when one summarizes the same content using different flows. This could happen by changing the order and sentence of the original work. The fourth is source citation. This takes place when a person presents a complete source of information which lacks quotes. The fifth is mosaic plagiarism.
This type Of plagiarism takes place when one changes the sentence construction but not the original wording. Finally, the sixth is full-proof plagiarism. It occurs when al the sources used have citations but the entire text is a paraphrased version of the original. 3. 0 Is academic plagiarism a problem for the non-native speakers only? In my view, academic plagiarism is a problem for both the native and non- native speakers. Academic plagiarism by students is influenced by a variety of factors. Some of the factors that influence plagiarism are of human nature regardless of whether one is a native or a non-native speaker.
For example laziness is recognized as a factor that may influence one to plagiarism whether they are native or non-native speakers. Another common factor among the dative and non-native speakers that may influence plagiarism is lack of confidence in one’s own work. The temptation to plagiarism may occur when one has high regards of what is written by someone else. However, non- native speakers may be faced with exceptional challenges that may influence them to plagiarism. For example a non-native speaker may be faced with the challenge of correlating ideas and grammar.
This may lead to plagiarism. According to Sherry Holt (201 3), non-native speakers prefer quoting their ‘masters’ as the most reliable source without critical thinking. 4. 0 What are the penalties of academic plagiarism? The penalties of academic plagiarism include suspensions and probation of the culprits from schools or institutions they are in, redoing the assignment and lowering of the students’ course grades. Attorney Stander (2010) states that anyone who plagiarisms copy righted material can be sued in federal court by the owner of the copyright.
He also describes how unsympathetic the courts can be toward college students who have been disciplined for plagiarism and seek relief via lawsuit. 5. 0 How can one avoid academic plagiarism? Generally, it is the responsibility of everyone to avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism would be understood as a collective responsibility among all the stakeholders meaning that it is also the responsibility of teachers to assist the students UN dealing with it (Council of Writing Program Administration 2003 p. ) -Loveland (2003) states that plagiarism is an offensive act that leads to infraction of originality and can be avoided by using proper citation of reference on the work done and also by reading and researching widely on the topic under research. Sherry Holt (2011) on the other hand says that there is need for a person to be a suspicious reader with a keen eye of identifying and addressing plagiarism. She advises that once plagiarism is identified, there is need to have a One on one chart on what constitute plagiarism with a culprit and provide an opportunity to the culprit to rewrite the paper. . 0 How should the culprits of academic plagiarism be punished? In conclusion, some of the reasons that lead students to practice plagiarism are laziness, ignorance and lack of exposure or experience on the subject under discussion. Plagiarism does not affect students only but also the institution and nation at large because it increases lack of originality among individuals. Therefore, measures on how to curb plagiarism should be taken and there would be consequences in place for culprits who are performing it.