Wpa statement on plagiarism Essay Example

Wpa statement on plagiarism Essay Plagiarism was never as serious an issue as it today. Teachers used to trust their students to speak their own ideas and take responsibility in everything they do. Today, with the birth of the Internet and the countless ideas a student can amass from it, plagiarism is a serious concern everyone in the academe is watching out for. Because of the growing concern of the students credibility and ability to come up with their own ideas, proposals rose to battle such issue, like that of the WPA Statement on Plagiarism. Plagiarism, then, has to be defined before students are taught about the causes and responsibilities that go with it. According to the WPA Statement on Plagiarism, â€Å"plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. Once a student claims that another authors idea as his own, he is automatically considered as someone who is guilty of academic miscond uct (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2003).† Teachers, then, must understand that not all students are ready to risk their own thoughts and ideas.Students who are most likely to plagiarize are those who are poor at managing their time, do not treat the subject or course a significant one. In some cases, teachers trigger the students to plagiarize because of the very generic subjects or cheating goes unpunished. On the other hand, some students try their best to avoid plagiarism but because of their lack of knowledge on this matter, their works falsely appear as a plagiarized material. Because of all these, responsibilities must then be shared by students, faculty members and administrators alike. Students should see projects and assignments as avenues for knowledge, faculty members should give assignments that help students stay away from plainly recycling texts and administrators should implement programs that encourage honesty in any academic work. â€Å"Battling plagiarism can be done through developing policies, improving teaching materials and educating students about the significance of this issue (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2003).†ReferenceCouncil of Writing Program Administrators. (2003). Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism:The WPA Statement on Best Practices. Retrieved July 8, 2008, fromhttp://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9.