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Apparently, plagiarism is no longer predominantly associated with Cliffs' notes. This message appears on a web site advertising term papers available to students who are willing to pay from five to 35 dollars per page-and it only takes the click of a mouse.
But although the ethical issues involved with students plagiarizing Internet term papers have become a nationwide concern, faculty members and administrators say that students at the University seem to have resisted the temptation. Nevertheless, many administrators and faculty members are keeping their guard.
More than seventy on-line sites give a student access to written term-papers in minutes, complete with citations and bibliographies. Topics range from "The History of Rock Music" to "The Green Revolution in Asia" to "The 'Old' Testament."
While certain web sites include disclaimers that warn students about plagiarism, others offer detailed tips about cheating on tests, including methods such as "Erase the Evidence," "Grab Bag Method" and "The all-knowing TI-81."
These web sites have not grown in popularity without being challenged. On Oct. 20, Boston University sued eight on-line term paper businesses in seven states, charging them with wire fraud, mail fraud, racketeering and selling term papers-an act that violates a Massachusetts' state law. Boston University seeks to stop these companies from operating in Massachusetts and wants compensation for an unspecified amount of legal costs and damages.
Paul Bumbalough, associate dean of student development at Duke, works with the Undergraduate Judiciary Board-the board that hears cases of alleged academic dishonesty. "There have not yet been any cases that could be a [charge] that a paper was either bought or downloaded [off the Internet]," he said. The closest case, he continued, was when a student "more or less copied word-for-word" an article and graphic from an on-line magazine, and posed the work as his own. "It was a pretty obvious situation," Bumbalough said.
Along with the undergraduate judicial board, many University professors said they have not encountered Internet papers either.
"For now, at any rate, I believe in the integrity of my students," said Victor Strandberg, professor of English, "and I think such cheating tactics are not likely unless a professor imposes a radically severe grading standard on his classes."
Others seemed equally skeptical that students would be able to pass off downloaded term-papers as their own and were surprised that the sites seem to be gaining popularity. "It seems hard to imagine that all-purpose term-papers exist-perhaps it is truly a "one-size-fits-all" term paper world that has emerged-but I suppose it's possible," said Professor of English Julie Tetel.
Many at the University are not prepared to rest on their laurels. They continue to urge faculty members to be on the lookout for plagiarized works.
The Center for Academic Integrity- a national organization now based at Duke-includes a consortium of approximately 200 colleges and seeks to offer advice to faculty members who are concerned about plagiarism.
Sally Cole, director of the center, suggested that instructors narrow their topics, ask for drafts and outlines, give pop quizzes in class and ask for specific citations with page numbers to discourage plagiarism.
Trinity sophomore Julian Harris, chair of the University's Honor Council-a board responsible for educating students about the honor code and the importance of academic integrity-perceives the web sites as both beneficial and harmful. "They have the potential to be helpful in the sense of showing a sample paper, but the problem comes when students take advantage of the situation," he explained. With the increasing popularity of the on-line sites, Harris maintains, "the level of personal responsibility that students must take upon themselves will only increase."
Nevertheless, the debate continues about whether the actual sites are unethical and should be limited in scope. "[The businesses] have a right to put it on the web site," Bumbalough noted. "It could be a free speech issue."
Cole, despite her work to discourage plagiarism from the web sites similarly noted, "I think one would be foolish to regulate it."
Although eliminating the web sites may not be realistic or justifiable, recognizing the existence of such web sites is important. "This is an old problem in a different guise... I'm certain it will become more of an issue," said Christopher Kennedy, professor of English.
As the web sites continue to become more popular, whether at the University or elsewhere, the only option for the academic community is to continue to believe in the character of its students. "I hope I wouldn't be vulnerable to such fraud," said Reynolds Price, professor of English. "Of course one never quite knows. The fraudulent only cheat themselves-themselves, and whoever's footing the bill for their education."
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