Can Web 2.0 Reduce Plagiarism and Cheating
Date Issued
2011
Author(s)
Abstract
Plagiarism has existed many centuries ago. From the time
when Web 1.0 turned into a host of billions of different sites,
information access became practically unrestricted. As a
consequence, plagiarism has become a crucial problem in all
spheres of life, including education and research. Evolution of
the Web from traditional Web 1.0 towards Web 2.0
stimulated a transformation of plagiarism. Furthermore,
digital age introduced new ways of cheating, such as identity
theft, concealment, fraud and cloning.
This paper presents the experience with different types of
plagiarism and cheat noticed during the realisation of several
courses at undergraduate and graduate level at two
universities. It continues with simple techniques used and
intended to discover plagiarism, student trick to cover it, and
student remarks against it.
With the time, it appeared that Web 2.0 gave an opportunity
to ghost writers and identity fraudsters to successfully play
the role of excellent students instead of themselves. Unlike
plagiarism, there are still no tangible evidences proving the
suspicion of these two kinds of cheat. We conclude that the
obviousness of Web 2.0 resulted in the reduction of individual
external and internal plagiarism. Unfortunately, it inaugurated
new types of cheating. While we decide which of two evils is
worse, we will stick to traditional oral examination as a best
way to make students at least learn what they plagiarised or
their identity clones produced in their name.
when Web 1.0 turned into a host of billions of different sites,
information access became practically unrestricted. As a
consequence, plagiarism has become a crucial problem in all
spheres of life, including education and research. Evolution of
the Web from traditional Web 1.0 towards Web 2.0
stimulated a transformation of plagiarism. Furthermore,
digital age introduced new ways of cheating, such as identity
theft, concealment, fraud and cloning.
This paper presents the experience with different types of
plagiarism and cheat noticed during the realisation of several
courses at undergraduate and graduate level at two
universities. It continues with simple techniques used and
intended to discover plagiarism, student trick to cover it, and
student remarks against it.
With the time, it appeared that Web 2.0 gave an opportunity
to ghost writers and identity fraudsters to successfully play
the role of excellent students instead of themselves. Unlike
plagiarism, there are still no tangible evidences proving the
suspicion of these two kinds of cheat. We conclude that the
obviousness of Web 2.0 resulted in the reduction of individual
external and internal plagiarism. Unfortunately, it inaugurated
new types of cheating. While we decide which of two evils is
worse, we will stick to traditional oral examination as a best
way to make students at least learn what they plagiarised or
their identity clones produced in their name.
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