Plagiarism in an Academic Setting

To define plagiarism, the Oxford English Dictionary states that plagiarism is "the action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft" (Last, 2007). In the academic world it has been made clear that plagiarism is a crime. Students are introduced to the issues surrounding plagiarism in their first orientation. After the first class, they are reminded and warned about plagiarizing all the way through their academic career. When a student enrolls in a college or university they are given a code of conduct and a set of rules that have to be adhered to. Additionally, all students agree to the ethical values that come with the code of conduct. If a student does not adhere to the code of conduct the rules state what the price to be paid is for each penalty. In fact, the penalty for plagiarism can be as high as being expelled from the school with a failing grade. This can ruin a student's academic career. Since we have covered the consequences of being caught plagiarizing, what