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Stressed out from worrying about the English paper he had yet to write (or even think about writing), Mark Cassetta decided to go online and ease his mind with a little porn. While perusing through sexpics.com, Mark had an epiphany. Could there be a termpapers.com? A few key strokes later, Mark found the solution to his term paper panic. Whereas writing a term paper once meant endless hours of last minute research and pulling an all-nighter, the slacker's time has come. Pick a search engine, any search engine, and make one simple request; "term papers." Suddenly, "Chuckiii" and "Coshe" are your new best friends. It's sites like these that are dying to give you the easy out you're looking for. They specialize in prewritten and custom written academic papers. Some are free and some cost a month's pay, but all are just a mouse click away.
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The $18.95 per page you could be shelling out isn't all you might be paying for the convenience of an online term paper. University policy has specific rules against this type of cheating which could jeopardize your academic standing.
As you may have guessed, taking a paper off the Web and turning it in as your own breaks a few rules. This is obviously cheating, but it isn't simple looking-over-your-shoulder-during-a-test cheating anymore. Taking a paper from off the Web and putting your own name on it enters the evil realm of plagiarism, submitting another person's work as your own.
Most students see cheating as a minor infraction. We've been doing it all our academic lives. It started with little notes on the hands and has pinnacled with programmable calculators. But there's something about the word "plagiarism" that goes hand in hand with other words like "guilt," "shame," and "dishonor."
On
your honor
Chico State University believes in a little thing called Academic Honesty. According to the Academic Honesty policy, consequences for plagiarism range from failure of a course to expulsion.
First-time offenders are more likely to be put on probation, restricting the student from playing university sports, being an officer in a recognized student organization, or representing the university in any official capacity. Probation would only be for a specific period of time and is not quite as bad as being suspended.
When suspended, a student is disenrolled from the university for a period of time and would have to reapply later to come back.
The office of student judicial affairs has yet to see an online plagiarism case in which the entire paper is used.
"I've had cases where they downloaded information and used it directly as if it was their own, but not the whole term paper," said Lizanne Leach, coordinator for student judicial affairs.
If judicial affairs has yet to see a case involving an entire term paper, it's because professors like Tom Johnson choose to handle them personally.
When Johnson spotted a suspicious paper in one of his religion classes, the Chico State anthropology professor decided to fight back by going to his computer and turning up the heat on one of his students.
"It just seemed out of character," Johnson said. "It had a lot of technical vocabulary not like the student."
Like all professors at Chico State, Johnson had been warned about students using online papers. Using the search engine Alta Vista, Johnson was able to track down the original paper and consequently gave the student an "F" in the course.
"I recognize the style of my students now," Johnson said, knowing that recognizing the writer's style is the first step to uncovering such cases.
"Ultimately it comes down to students' integrity," Leach said.
For junior Jenn Lombard, it came down to her conscience.
"I just couldn't do it," Lombard said. "My conscience got the best of me."
Her freshman year, she considered using an online paper for her geology class.
"I'm just not into science at all," Lombard said. "I waited to the last minute and I just got desperate."
Searching for papers to fit her topic, Lombard didn't find one that would do.
"It was pretty bad writing," she said. "I would never write the way they wrote."
Lombard then broke down and wrote the paper herself. From doing so, she got a "B" on the assignment and "good karma" to boot.
We're
the good guys, honest
If pulling a term paper off the Web sounds dishonest to you, then congratulations - you have morals. But like a thief preaching the evils of stealing, many term-paper sites do the same.
"Please use the following papers for informational purposes only. Please do not turn these papers in as your own. Remember, putting your name on someone else's paper is against the law," says Chuckiii College Resources.
Likewise, T.O.P Custom Writing states that, "The intended purpose of our term papers is that they be used as models to assist you in preparation of your own."
With claims that they are simply a "Term Paper Assistance Service" or a "College Resource," online term papers sites wash there hands of responsibility for what students choose to do with their papers. The Paper Store gets to the bottom line by making it clear that, "the organization's rights to research, write and globally publish example papers on the Internet are protected, free speech, and shall continue unabated and uncensored."
It's all about
quality
The best things in life may be free, but the best term
papers aren't.
The price you'll
pay
Trading your good name for an
"A"
On your
honor
Bad cheater, no
degree!
Companies back up their ethical intentions.
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© copyright by Cat Bytes; Magazine produced by online students of the journalism department, California State University, Chico. Page maintained by Dr. Glen Bleske. |