The term plagiarism is coined from a Latin word, plagiarius which simply refers to abducting or kidnapping. In academics, it can be defined as an act of using another person’s words, thought or ideas without acknowledging them as the credible source (Clarke 113). Plagiarism has become a very common practice today especially amongst the academicians such as students. Many students, in many colleges, no longer uphold the spirit of academic integrity. Thus, they deliberately or unintentionally engage in such an immoral act.
As a student, I would like to point out that I have been engaged in this act. It is quite unfortunate that I have been plagiarizing my assignments. However much I have been ignoring it, the truth dawned on me when I was caught by my instructors. Although the university rules are quite categorical on this matter, most of the students have been keen on plagiarism (Bernard 22). In fact, it has become a very common practice which helps us to cope with the numerous challenging assignments we always do.
However, I would like to report that I decided to copy my colleagues work because of my ignorance. As a reserved a slow learner, I thought that the tendency of copying my friends work would enable me to improve my grade. All along, I have always thought that I can just use a short cut to pass the courses which I am always compelled to undertake even if they are not relevant to my course. Such include areas in which I am a minor. This was my ignorance because; I also, did not know how severe its consequences would be.
Besides, I plagiarized my work because I was trying to cope up with the pressing deadline we had been given by our professors. Most of the assignments we are often given are very complicated. However, our professors do not give us enough time to effectively complete them. However, since we are always interested in passing them whatsoever, we can resort to any practice so long as it can help us get the maximum scores. This is why I copied my colleague’s work because he happened to have finished earlier. Had it not been for this, I would be severely penalized by my ruthless professor for lateness.
In addition, I plagiarized my assignments because of influence from my peers. Although it is highly condemned by the university administration, plagiarism has become a common practice amongst most of my colleagues. They believe that it is normal to ‘consult’ their colleagues whenever they are given any task to perform. This justifies why I was lured into this practice despite having a clear knowledge that it is a violation of academic integrity. Since many of them have managed to escape, I thought that such an indiscriminate act of copy pasting my colleagues’ work would be a solution to my laziness and sloppiness, practices which have made it challenging for me to adequately perform my tasks. After all, I was convinced that I could not be caught (Wilfried 97).
In this regard, I would like to take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness and pledge not to repeat such an immoral act. I have now known that plagiarism is an unethical practice which can not only make me lose my point, but can land me into a suspension or expulsion from this prestigious institution. It is for this reason that I promise not to engage in it again. From today, I will dedicate my time to affectively accomplish all my tasks. As a lazy student, it has been quite challenging to cope up with all the assignments especially those with short time limits (Bernard 22). I promise to be orderly and in my future works. This will be achieved by properly planning my time so as to prioritize important things and ignore those that can not help me.
At the same time, I will relieve myself from this problem by conducting extensive research. Whenever I am given any task, I will perform it with due diligence. Meaning, I will have to go to the library and acquire all the necessary book and non-book reading materials to gather all the relevant information which can enable me to produce an original valid work. In case I need to include any person’s work, I will have to use the recommended reference style. This will not only help me to acknowledge them as the original source of such information, but helps to make my work valid and authoritative.
Lastly, I will avoid future cases of plagiarism by exercising self-control over my actions. From today, I promise to be autonomous in my decisions. I will no longer succumb to negative influences from my colleagues especially those engaged in unethical acts such as plagiarism. Instead, I will have to act right. Since I now understand that it is an academic offense, I will distance myself from it (Wilfried 97). After all, it is an unethical practice which is both punishable by my university and can make me lose my integrity and credibility as an up coming scholar.
Works Cited
Bernard E. Whitley, "Factors Associated with Cheating Among College Students: A Review", Research in Higher Education 39, no. 3, (June, 1998), 252.
Clarke, Roger (2006). "Plagiarism by academics: More complex than it seems". Journal of the Association for Information Systems 7 (1): 91–121.
Wilfried Decoo, Crisis on Campus: Confronting Academic Misconduct. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2002. Print.
