Here are some useful resources I used to better understand my topic of copyright, understanding plagiarism, and citation techniques:
1. Why do foreign students plagiarize? A cultural perspective. (2018, February 05). Retrieved from
https://elearnmagazine.com/why-do-students-plagiarize/
This article by Priscila Zigunovas on e-learn magazine is a summary breakdown of possible reasons for
why international students may consider plagiarizing their work, either accidentally or on purpose.
To be quite frank, I think a lot of the reasons listed here appear to me like something of a poor excuse, whether it's observed behaviour or statements offered
up by those who have plagiarized. Take these for example: the focus on
collaboration, seeing it as a form of flattery, respect for authority,
etc. - all of these things are preserved in a citation, you are only making sure to note where the information is coming from. Also, depending
on the extent of the plagiarism, some of the reasons listed here come off as rather hollow
(facetiously; "I copied this other work in it's entirety because I respect the author
too much to properly criticize and convey my own opinion.") I am hopeful that students plagiarizing for these reasons could be easily convinced to
just add a citation to the end to avoid (potentially unintentional) academic
dishonesty.
The more sinister side of it - such
as being focused on the exams and not seeing homework as important, or
straight up intentionally plagiarizing because the consequences are
lenient - these are the tough ones because these students basically know
they are doing something they shouldn't. I like to think that much of
the plagiarism that I'd be discussing with my students errs on the
unintentional side because they haven't really been exposed to this kind of thinking just yet (Elementary/Intermediate level). When you're knowingly engaging in this behaviour, that's a whole
other conversation (still an important one though!).
2. Vicinus, Martha & Eisner, Caroline. Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2008. Project MUSE, p 195-207
Academic Plagiarism and the Limits of Theft
This essay was a discussion about what exactly plagiarism means to all parties involved in an academic institution. "Was plagiarism to be
viewed primarily as a theft, as a breach of community norms, as a betrayal
of the ethical foundation of the teacher-student relationship, or perhaps as
a disciplinary misunderstanding?" (2008)
This may be a little above the heads of a grade 7 student, but the contrast of the viewed "seriousness" of the offense versus the amount of work saved (or reward weighed against risk) is something that I could see easily tempting a younger student, despite not knowing exactly what kind of behaviour they might be engaging in.
3. Zhang, Y. (2016). Against plagiarism a guide for editors and authors. Cham: Springer. p 3-10
Chapter 1 What Is Plagiarism?
While I did not get a chance to read through the entire work, Zhang has a good breakdown of specific types of plagiarisms such as cut and paste and paraphrasing (the "put in your own words" truism which sometimes seems to persist in the minds of students without the accompanying "and cite your source") as well as some other useful defintions.
