Academic Dishonesty

Academic Dishonesty has increased to be a problem bigger than ever before. More students are risking the consequences of being caught, all for making the grade.

1. There have always been some forms of academic dishonesty and punishments for those who are caught
2. Although cheating in the academic world is nothing new to the academic faculty of all educational levels, it is a problem that is wider spread today than in the past. The educational system has had to stay up to par with all the new ways of cheating found by students today. With the Internet accessible to most students, temptation for academic dishonesty is just hard for some to resist. But this is a more complex problem, than just temptation or even laziness on the student's part.
3. One of the larger problems in the college levels is plagiarism in the areas of research papers, essays, and other similar types of writings
4. Through via Internet access, it has become more tempting to plagiarize, due to easier access to other's work
5. Due to more plagiarism happening today, the Professors and teachers have very strict rules with verbal and written warnings of what will happen when plagiarism is discovered. In college, high school and on down, there are rules about what happens if caught cheating. Clearly written on most any class syllabus, there will state consequences of plagiarizing work in any form.
   • For the reasons of higher numbers of plagiarism to be occurring through the recent years, protection devises have been put into place for proofing most all written work. There was a means of protecting copyrights all the way to the point of inventing programs specifically for copyright infringements of academic research papers of all types. This program is used for most all higher academic grade levels, not only college levels now.
6. When the Internet did not yet exist, there was still plagiarism; although, not as easily identifiable for reasons of it being harder to check work turned in by students
7. Plagiarism o the past was looked at as more unacceptable, than in recent years. One reason may be due to a drop in morals in societal boundaries and beliefs of today compared to recent past. Supporting this point even more is the spreading through various types of students today, compared to the past.
   • Since the high rates of academic plagiarism being discovered through the years, extensive studies are now more common than in the past. Research statistics are not only showing high rates of the stereotypical student, but the students least expected to plagiarize has also increased.
8. Since there is a spread of immoral cheating within the academic world of today; there are those in the Psychological and the Sociological fields wanting to know why these bad choices are being made more often
9. Along with the academic faculty, researchers of Psychology and Sociology, too wonder why the increase of cheating and plagiarism
10. In the past years, a principle and parent meeting for cheating would have been a rare occasion, because of moral family beliefs and values. In the past, these moral boundaries were most always carried on through the college years. On the occasions that such types of cheating arose, punishment was of a less harsh price to pay.
    • Through the recent trend of much higher cheating, there had to be changes in expanding and enforcing the harsher measures of punishments for cheating. Just as any other immoral issue out of control, laws, rules and punishments will be changed accordingly. When too many people start breaking down the moral fibers, it is then seen as a threat to society as a whole.
11. By defining the real reasons as to why cheating occurs; there now is the findings of class stratifications and ages, no longer being predictable
12. With more frequent research on cheating also came more curious questions as to why certain groups over all are found to be cheating more often. Where past research found those who cheated were more likely than not, to be guys more often than girls, the athletes, before a 4-point student, and so forth.
    • But instead, a cheater can be the 4-point student feeling the pressures of keeping that 4-point at any cost. There is now too the cheater more likely to be a female than in past. Although, guys overall are still ahead in plagiarisms or cheating of any form, the statistics for girls have grown.
13. With the various degrees of plagiarisms, cheating, and fabrications, even more questions abound
14. As all kind of areas grows in cheating in these recent years, there are also variances on how much or how little someone will risk for an excellent grade
15. There are studies showing that underclassmen tend to cheat more than upperclassmen. There are also the typical good student verses the bad student. These are classic cases, but are much more complex in most all cases of academic dishonesty facing society today. The variants of degrees has complexities that most always over-lap, contributing to many gray areas.
    • Within group context, there can be either a negative or positive overall belief pertaining to individual obligations to their group; fraternity, sorority or even the blood related family surroundings included
16. There are differences between the group that over look the cheaters and the individual who chooses to cheat any area of their academics. But, at the same time there too, are similarities of why people students choose to make those wrong choices.
17. With a better understanding of a group condoning such laxities in the moralities of the group's belief system, there can be options focusing on the group as a whole and the individual that was caught being dishonest.
    • An official group may be more easily swayed than a individual. As a group, being reminded how wrong it really is may create a new outlook and permanent change. Where an individual may have higher stakes and feel that they have no other choice, but to risk.
18. With the changes in realizations on past and present academic dishonesty, there must be a different angle to take
19. So should it be harshness now that cheating and plagiarism has been moving higher in numbers of those guilty
20. It is those questions of asking how to fix this; how should the academic dishonesty o all levels be approached? Most dishonesty of cheating in any form is questioned when it is caught.
    • With change in times, there is a change in the way punishments rule. When people push past the first and second offense, there has to be reasons for extensive studies.
21. For those who thought there were simple solutions by becoming exceptionally good at breaking the rules of academic dishonesty, there are always more positive changes to be better fitting for the academic student
22. So which way is it? Is society harsh and excessive in the current ways of all punishment for cheating, plagiarism and every other gray area or are the current punishments fair?
    • No matter which way the final thought is on the subject of the cheating academic student; there is more than enough evidence of academic deception staying at the higher levels. It may be from needing to make the "best" grades, and or the many other pressures of just being in school as a student today.