BIBLIOGRAPHY CALLISEN, CARISSA M....
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013. Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in
the Requirements among Sophomore Development Communication Students of Benguet
State University. Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Gretchen Shagami C. Mangahas, MDevCom
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to know the awareness and practice of second year
Development Communication students regarding plagiarism. Specifically, the study
identified how the respondents make their academic requirements, their level of awareness
on the definition of plagiarism, their reasons for committing plagiarism, which DevCom
subject requirement they plagiarize most and to identify their sources of information.
Moreover, the study determined the methods of instructors in identifying plagiarized
articles and to enumerate suggested measures to avoid plagiarism cases.
A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 30 respondents together with
interview schedules with three instructors of DevCom. Data gathered were analyzed and
interpreted using descriptive frequencies and percentages.
All of the 30 respondents were second year Development Communication students
regardless of the major field. All of the respondents had been writing articles even before
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
taking up DevCom but 63% of them found it difficult to make an article or reaction paper.
The respondents did not have the same schemes in writing their articles.
Making the first draft and checking and editing their articles were identified as the
most difficult steps in writing articles. Moreover, respondents rushed in writing their
academic requirements despite ample time given by the instructors.
Majority of the respondents were aware of the word plagiarism. More than half of
the respondents could identify whether an article is plagiarized or not. Furthermore, most
of the respondents were much aware of the different types of plagiarism and some of them
also were not aware that there is no need to cite references or authors of the sources of
information if it is a common knowledge.
Moreover, respondents quoted their sources because it was a required by the
instructors and because they know that plagiarism is a crime. There were some of the
respondents did not paraphrase because they found it hard to do so.
Due to wide access and availability of information from the internet, it is the most
used source of the respondents for ideas and books as the least being used. On the other
hand, the use of internet also was the instructors’ basic tool in identifying whether an article
or reaction paper was plagiarized or not aside from knowing the students capability in
writing. Further, instructors’ gave a lot of time for their students to write their academic
requirement and always remind them of plagiarism.
Second year Development Communication students found it difficult to write their
academic requirements despite knowing the steps in writing even if they were aware of the
word plagiarism. Most of them copied and paste information from the internet being the
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
most accessible and available source of information. Moreover, the respondents rushed in
writing their academic requirements despite the ample time given to them by their
instructors. DevCom Instructors had a system in identifying whether an article of their
student was plagiarized or not however, no specific computer program was used to rigidly
check on cases of plagiarism.
It is then recommended that since the chances for students to plagiarize is higher if the
article is assigned as take home where internet is highly accessible it is recommended that
requirements be written inside the classroom during laboratory time. Additionally, students
should internalize the ethical and legal considerations so that they will avoid committing
plagiarism. Also, Instructors should continue motivating the students to write their own
article and be strict on the implementation of deadlines of the academic requirements.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Proper guidance at an early stage helps the young and professional writer do better
along the good course of journalism. To start a career in writing, one must have to
understand the grounds and nature in writing.
Writing with integrity and credibility is not only accounted to the writer but also,
most often, the educational institution who trained him/her. It is always a primary
responsibility of the educational institution to instill principles aside from theories and
skills to the students.
In communication courses where writing is the primary activity, students are taught
to create original articles or pieces. BS Development Communication is a course offered
in Benguet State University by the Department of Development Communication (DDC)
under the College of Agriculture. Development Communication is said to be one way in
alleviating poverty especially in the developing countries and it mainly focuses in the
achievement of human potentials for development. It has four major fields which are:
Community Broadcasting, Development Journalism, Educational Communication and
Science Communication which all are writing and creation of materials for development.
But it is not just merely writing as Castillo (2011) said, that development journalism
including the other components is also about how one disseminates information about the
latest development in the country using the various media that may fit to man’s human and
non-human resources like skills, time and money respectively. Moreover, it is the
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
development of a person’s perspective of his nation through journalism; it is the act of
disseminating information that would open the minds of the public to reality.
BSDC subjects, just like in any communication course, require academic outputs
that are mostly written articles, reactions and researches. However, due to wide and easy
access of information like the Internet, plagiarism has been experienced with the outputs
of the students. It is observed that plagiarism has become a practice for some students who
have no understanding on what is it. And since going through word by word is difficult
just to determine if it is plagiarize or not, students tend to be confident in online copying of
information in their academic requirements.
Development Communication (DevCom) will be very possible and applicable in
our country because it belongs to the category of developing countries. But to become an
effective development communicator, comprehensive trainings and knowledge in the field
of writing with attention to avoiding plagiarism is very important.
Plagiarism is defined by Writing Program Administrators (2003) as academic and
public dishonesty. Moreover, in an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer
deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not
commonknowledge) material without acknowledging its source. Further, Imperial College
London (2012) defines plagiarism also as the presentation of another person's thoughts,
words or images and diagrams as though they were the writer’s own.
According to Ulrich (2006) the idea that the Information Age is a new alternative
excuse for plagiarism is recently gaining ground. Ulrich (2006) claims that in the age of
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
global internet access to information; plagiarism is rapidly becoming a skill rather than
representing an unacceptable use of published material.
Though instructors instill in students that copying thoughts and ideas from online
or printed material is a crime and should follow the styles and guide in citation still,
students, according to Gabriel (2010), do not understand that using words they did not write
is a serious misdeed. Further, he added that Digital technology makes copying and pasting
easy, but that is only the least of it. And that the Internet may also be redefining how
students, who came of age with music file-sharing, Wikipedia and Web-linking, understand
the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image.
Moreover, according to Hall and Sven (2004), some people go to college unsure of
what plagiarism is. The ease which computer files can be downloaded and copied has
further confused many people. Students are accustomed to meaning and using other
people’s words that they forget where the lines are drawn.
In an interview, Awas (2012) of the Department of Development Communication,
BSU also noted that plagiarism is really a common crime to any institution and that there
are a lot of cases in the Department especially to the lower years or the freshmen since they
lack understanding and awareness on plagiarism.
Therefore, there is a need to document the awareness and practice of plagiarism
among Development Communication students. Further, to identify the other possible
reasons for the existence of such activity and to provide materials for the students to further
understand plagiarism.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to seek the practice of plagiarism among Development
Communication students.
Specifically it aimed to answer the following questions:
1.
How do students write their articles or reaction paper?
2.
What is the level of awareness on the definition of plagiarism among
the respondents?
3.
What are the reasons why the respondents plagiarize?
4.
What are the sources of information used by students in committing
plagiarism?
5.
What methods do the instructors use to identify plagiarized articles?
6.
What are the recommendations of the respondents to lessen
plagiarism?
Objectives of the Study
The study aimed to document the plagiarism of articles among the Development
Communication Students.
Specifically the study was able to:
1. identify how respondents make their articles or reaction papers;
2. determine the respondents level of awareness on the definition of plagiarism;
3. identify the respondents’ reasons in committing plagiarism;
4. identify the sources of information used by the respondents; and,
5. determine the instructors’ method in identifying plagiarized articles.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Importance of the Study
There is a need to study plagiarism in the academic requirements among the
DevCom students in order to correct their writing scheme and to possibly educate them on
plagiarism.
The study may also provide an avenue for students to be challenged in the
perseverance of the values of DevCom.
Further, this may give a perspective on how the students write their own articles
and may help instructors to create mechanism to plagiarism in students.
The study may also be used as a reference to those who want to conduct similar
studies.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The study included second year students of BS Development Communication of
Benguet State University regardless of their major.
The study’s concern is to know how students plagiarize their articles and measure
the perception of the respondents on plagiarism as influenced by their knowledge. Also, it
aimed to know the methods of the instructors in determining plagiarized articles.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined by Folkerts and Lacy (2007) as the stealing of words and ideas
of others and presenting them as your own, adding that it is deliberate dishonesty and it is
usually just that: the plagiarist props open a book beside the typewriter and copies the word
for word. Never repeat anybody else’s ideas and words without acknowledgment.
The Writing Center (2012) defines plagiarism as the deliberate or reckless
representation of another’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own without attribution in
connection with submission of academic work, whether graded or not.
Harris’s (2007) study of Plagiarism in Academe defines plagiarism as the snaring
of something and keeping it for your own use, like a gamekeeper’s theft of trappable
animals from the estate of an owner.
In addition, Gladen (2006) stated in her work A Definition of Plagiarism College
students that plagiarism is the act of taking credit for someone else's work. She added
that in college, this usually involves writing, but other kinds of work can be plagiarized as
well, including music, ideas, and artwork. Taking credit for work that someone else created
is stealing and is a violation of intellectual property law. Hence, plagiarism is more than
just a violation of school policies and a teacher's trust; it is an illegal activity that is not so
different from stealing someone's iPod or wallet.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Plagiarism Among Students
Checker (2012), stated that the first thing that promotes plagiarism among students
is the teacher themselves who do not make them aware about the issues and the types and
even the results of plagiarism. It stated that teachers are responsible for telling the students
about the presentation of their work and the work of others. There are many teachers, who
also find very tough to go through each word of student’s academic requirements and than
giving them the grade accordingly, rather they just check out the views of the students
(Checker, 2012). In the case of students, the plagiarism is enhanced because of laziness and
the carelessness. Once students succeed in cheating the teachers, they begin losing the
interest of making their own ideas and start developing the habit of plagiarism.
However, there are various reasons why students engage in plagiarism as written
by Sallegue (2011) in her article Why Students Plagiarized. One is meeting the deadline.
Students who are rushing too many assignments are left with no choice but to copy other
people’s work and ignore proper citation. Another is availability of online searching. With
the advent of internet, students can just surf the internet for information that they need. It
may also be because of lack of knowledge about plagiarism, or lack of knowledge about
the punishment when caught.
Moreover, Sallegue (2011) added that students think that the works of others are
better than what they can produce. Another factor may also be because not all instructors
are trained to spot plagiarized works. Due to a large array of information, it is almost
impossible for teachers to track down if each and every work that their students submit has
been copied or not.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Complementary to Checker, in the study of Batane (2010), 75% of students tend to
plagiarize because of laziness, Writing an article also takes time specially when there are
other assignments that are need to be done that student tend to plagiarize even when they
were taught that it is wrong. The study further revealed that there are only 6.7% of the
students who stated that they cheated because of lack of skills in proper academic writing.
Also, students reported that plagiarism cases in the university were not taken very seriously
as they often see most of their colleagues get away with this kind of cheating. This tempts
them to also engage in the behavior of plagiarizing.
In addition, Batane (2010) discovered on his study that students are encouraged to
plagiarize because of the tendency of lecturers to give the same essays and tests every year,
thus, it is easy to get a previous student’s assignment and copy from it.
On the other hand, he stated that when lecturers were questioned about their
response to plagiarism incidents, a majority of them reported that often, when they suspect
or identify plagiarism cases in their classes, they rarely take the issue beyond and just talk
to the students concerned.
In another study conducted by Bamford and Sergiou (2005), they found out that the
main reasons for acknowledged plagiarism were external pressures to succeed or time
pressure. With unintentional plagiarism, students are unaware that they are committing
plagiarism and that they could not distinguish between paraphrased and plagiarized text.
However, regardless of the many reasons of students in plagiarism, Terry (2007)
stated the two main reasons in the widespread of plagiarism today. First, the students have
probably never plagiarized so widely but the growth of the internet and the rise of
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
companies dedicated to selling readymade assignments have certainly made plagiarism
seem a more practical way of gaining modular credits compared before. Terry added that
companies selling assignments to students are simply challenging universities’
longstanding monopoly as vendors of higher educational credits. Secondly, universities are
ever aware of plagiarism and yet they feel limited to control it.
State of Awareness on Plagiarism Among Students
Better understanding on what plagiarism is makes a higher tendency for the student
not to commit plagiarism.
The study of Madray (2007) shows that recent high school graduates, freshmen
entering Colleges are unaware and unprepared for higher education. Many students
especially those who lack paraphrasing and analyzing abilities have difficulty in citing
book sources. Moreover, 73% of the participants in her study (post-test) failed to correctly
answer the question, Does copying from a book without crediting the source constitute
plagiarism?
Further, findings revealed in the journal of Ramzanet al. (2012) showed that there
was a low level of awareness about plagiarism and university plagiarism policies and
processes amongst the students. It also revealed that many respondents did not understand
what plagiarism is. A significant number of students have fairly admitted that they have
intentionally plagiarized written materials.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Gabriel (2010) in his article, stated that writing tutors and officials of some
universities responsible for discipline who described the plagiarism suggest that many
students simply do not grasp that using words they did not write is a serious misdeed.
Plagiarism from the Internet
According to Gabriel (2010), a freshman at Rhode Island College copied and pasted
from a Web site’s frequently asked questions page about homelessness and did not think
he needed to credit a source in his assignment because the page did not include author
information. He added in his article that educators who study plagiarism from other
universities said that it is a disconnect that is growing in the Internet age as concepts of
intellectual property, copyright and originality are under assault in the rampant exchange
of online information and that digital technology makes copying and pasting easy without
understanding the concept of authorship and the singularity of any text or image.
In a post, Minkel (2010) stated that the issue nowadays is that a large number of
college students are acting as college students always have baldly lifting whole passages
for their term papers from other sources without citing. He added that the battle is between
the digital age - between unverifiable, unattributed information sitting around online and
the general ease with which young people obtain, alter, and share creative content on the
Internet. Students cannot seem to figure out that cheating on a paper is wrong and a lot of
them cannot even tell that whether they are cheating and the Internet is to blame.
In the article of Howard and Davies (2009), they said that with large information
and answers from the internet, it was observed that internet itself is the culprit for student’s
plagiarism.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Plagiarism and Its Effects to the Values of Students
In the article of Carson (2010), she said that students seem willing to risk
punishments by committing plagiarism even though they may be putting their academic
viability and future careers in jeopardy just to lessen stress when making their works.
However, Carson (2010) said that there is a need to correct the wrong doings of the
students because stealing other’s works decreases the personal ability of the person to make
his/her own original piece and the failure to cite sources decreases the
accountability of the writer.
Parallel to Carson’s statement, iThenticate (2012) had identified six consequences
of plagiarism. Plagiarism destroys the student’s reputation, professional reputation and
academic reputation. The person may also be charged of legal repercussions, and in terms
of medicine, a plagiarized research may cause death.
John Carroll University (2012) also posted that plagiarism could harm the person
himself, other students and the instructor. It damages also the student-teacher relationship
and even the critical, creative and independent thinking of the students. It even disrupts the
atmosphere conducive for learning and replaces effort and trust with cynicism and distrust.
Identifying Plagiarized Articles
Townley and Parsell (2004) said in their study that detection of a suspected
plagiarized works of students is difficult due to wide access of information sources
instructors could ever know. Therefore, they added that as the net seems to enhance the
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
prospects of the plagiarist, some people and institutions look to the Internet for the solution
to plagiarism: the net has created the problem, so the net should be able to solve it.
Townly and Parsell(2004) used a popular service provided by Turnitin.com to
detect plagiarized in their study. They explained that Turnitin.com scans papers for
passages copied or paraphrased from web pages, journals or other papers. However, its
success as a plagiarism detector depends on the breadth of its database and only those
plagiarized content already in the database will be detected.
Meanwhile, Bailey (2011) in his article stated that internet is the perfect tool that
makes detecting plagiarism an easy task. Aside from the use of Turnitin.com, he listed
several search engines for a specific searching.
One is the use of Google which is good for locating copycats. Bailey (2011) said
that the best way of using it is the use of statistically improbable phrase (SIP) and not
punching the title of the article because many changes the original title of the article. A
good SIP is usually between 6-12 words long and is completely unique to a work.
However, as powerful as Google is, it has limitations. For one, it tends not to index
some of the most rampant places for plagiarism such as private message boards and social
networking sites.
Another tool mentioned by Bailey is the use of Copyscape which makes the
searching more efficient by merely typing the URL of the work you want to search, clicking
submit and then Copyscape will do the rest. But as the Google search, it also has limits.
The free version is too limited for some users and displays only ten results, with unlimited
results costing 5 cents each.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Bailey (2011) recommended Plagium which he said is very similar to Copyscape
but also use Yahoo as search engine and gives a different result from that of Google. The
use of Google Alerts automate searching, thus simply set up search queries as described
above and instruct Google Alerts to email new results. The service is completely free and
is ideal for sites where the content remains relatively static. Nevertheless, Snow (2006) said
that educators are substantially facing challenges of the electronic age and will face
increasing pressures to ensure that the student writing they receive is free from plagiarism
whether in the form of misappropriated language or misappropriated ideas from the
Internet.
She added that rather than adopting online technology only to detect plagiarism,
such educators may best employ such technology in a more proactive fashion to guarantee
that their students fully understand what constitutes plagiarism in their work.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Since the act of plagiarism cannot be avoided for others, there are some ways on
how to avoid it. Like a disease, it has an antidote.
In the study of Snow (2006), she developed a tutorial about plagiarism in response
to increasing plagiarism in the courses she teaches. Snow used the tutorial in conjunction
with electronic plagiarism detection. She instructs students to work through the tutorial
before they turn in any written work. When students are caught plagiarizing, they are being
sent to tutorial again. Using the tutorial and the plagiarism detection at the same time, Snow
found it difficult to quantify the effect of the tutorial; however, the two measures together
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
have reduced plagiarism in her class from 10% to 2% overall. In addition, her students who
plagiarized and then completed the tutorial did not repeat their poor performance.
Moreover,Goosney and Duda (2006)understanding why students plagiarize is the
first step towards finding a solution. The second step is to teach students what plagiarism
is and why it is important to know what plagiarism is, and to help them learn to prevent it.
They added that instructor who understands the causes is well equipped to develop teaching
practices that educate students about plagiarism, and to avoid situations in which it
typically occurs.
Further, Goosney and Duda(2006) identified four steps on how students can avoid
plagiarism. First is creating student awareness since many students do not even hear of the
word plagiarism until they go to college or university. Simply pointing them to a written
campus policy is not enough to educate them about the issue. Therefore, instructors should
make plagiarism awareness an integrated part of every undergraduate course they teach,
using class time to explore what plagiarism is and where it fits within the whole process of
academic integrity. On the part of the students, Goosney and Duda said that they should be
engaged in defining what they believe plagiarism is and why they see it as being important,
or unimportant, in their lives. They should learn not only how to cite papers properly, but
also why this process is central in sharing ideas, giving due credit, and gathering support
for their own ideas.
Goosney and Duda(2006) also suggested that instructors encourage proper time
management among student because though they were aware of plagiarism and its
consequences, they prefer to plagiarize due to lack of time. Further, distributed due dates
can help students avoid the end-of-term panic brought by not being able to find a topic,
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
being unsure of the research process, or not realizing how time consuming the assignment
would be. Instructors also should observe and influence the planning and development of
the work. As an alternative, instructors may give a series of small assignment interval
throughout the semester which may avoid the last-time pressure. The third step is designing
Plagiarism-resistant assignments that are researched-oriented by giving clear and written
instructions. Instructors should also be creative with the design of the assignments and
specify that students use/integrate certain sources. Instructors may also change assignments
regularly. The last step is to enlist the help of others at the institution because the battle to
prevent plagiarism should not be fought alone. At any academic institution, support
services exist to help instructors and students avoid the plagiarism (Goosney and Duda
2006).
In addition, The University of New South Wales, Sydney (2010) had identified the
following on how to avoid plagiarism: be aware of the constitutes of plagiarism; plan work;
do things on time or before the deadline; learn how to acknowledge sources; be accurate
and give the readers a chance to look for the original sources; learn how to effectively
incorporate works of others in writing; use quotations correctly and learn to make effective
notes from sources; and process the information to avoid copying word by word.
Steps in Making Articles and Reaction Paper
The better outcome of an article or reaction paper lies on the knowledge on how to
start and how to end the piece. The following steps are according to American University
(2009) and these are just among the various steps in making article or reaction paper. (Step
1) Select topic or subject then (step 2) narrow the topic. (Step 3) State the tentative
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
objectives, (step 4) form a preliminary biography and (step 5) prepare a working outline.
The next step (6) is to take short notes, (step 7) make outline on the paper and (step 8) make
a rough draft. The next step (9) is to edit the paper and last step (10) is to write the final
draft.
Definition of Terms
Academic requirements.Refers to assignments, projects, articles and reaction
papers being required by the instructors of the Department of DevCom.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted in Benguet State University, College of Agriculture.
Benguet State University, College of Agriculture is located at La Trinidad,
Benguet and is six kilometers north of Baguio City (see Figure 1).
Benguet State University is an academic school in the Cordillera which is mandated
to do instruction, research, extension and production.
BSU College of Agriculture was chosen as particular study area because they offer
Development Communication, a course that educates students to disseminate information
to grassroots and teach ethics of journalism.
The study was conducted from November 2012 to January 2013.
Respondents of the Study
Thirty respondents were selected randomly from the two sections of second year
students taking up Development Communication in Benguet State University in the School
Year 2012 to 2013. The main criteria in the selection were those who would continue their
course until they graduate and who had plans to work in the field of development
communication. Three instructors of Department of DevCom and the
Department Chairman were also included as Key Informants.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
18 Data Collection
The data on the process of writing academic requirements, the level of awareness
on plagiarism, reasons of plagiarizing, specific academic requirement and the sources of
BSU
Figure 1. Location map of the Study
information were gathered through floating survey questionnaires to students. The data on
the methods of instructor in detecting plagiarism were gathered through interview schedule
with the Key Informants and their recommendations on how the respondents could lessen
plagiarism. Further, questions were asked from the respondents to verify the facts, data and
answers generated from the survey questionnaires.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
Data Gathered
The data gathered were the respondents’ process in making their academic
requirements, their level or awareness on the definition of plagiarism, the respondents’
reasons in committing plagiarism and the academic requirements where they most
plagiarized. Further, the sources of information used for plagiarism by the respondents and
methods of the instructors on how they identify plagiarized articles were also gathered.
In addition, the recommendations of the respondents on how to lessen plagiarism
were gathered.
Data Analysis
The data collected was consolidated, tabulated and analyzed using descriptive
frequency and percentage.
20
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
How Students Make Articles
Background in writing articles.All (100%) of the respondents had background in
writing articles and reaction papers before taking up DevComsince it has been part of the
requirements of their subjects in primary and secondary education.
Table 1 shows that more than half (63.33%) of the respondents experienced
difficulty in making articles and reaction papers. On the other hand, 36.67% of them said
that writing articles and reaction papers was easy.One respondent said that this is if the
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
writer has knowledge on the topic. Another respondentalso said that writing is a passion
andthat writing should be done with a purpose.
Steps in making articles.The following steps in writing their articles or reaction
papers were identified by the respondents: (1) data gathering; (2) writing the first draft;
(3) checking and editing of the articles; (4) writing the final draft; (5) identifying a topic;
Table 1.Respondents’ background in writing
RESPONDENTS (N=30)
CHARACTESRISTICS
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE (%)
Have been writing articles and
reaction papers
Yes
30
100
Has difficulty in writing an
article or reaction paper
Yes
19
63.33
No
11
36.67
(6) researching on the topic or background knowledge; (7) conceptualizing/ angling/
synthesizing and answering the 5Ws and 1H; (8) knowing the audience; (9) making the
second draft; (10) making an outline; and, (11) making a lead.
Table 2 shows that in writing an article majority(76.67%)
of the
respondentsgather information. They do this through research and interviews. Moreover,
63.33% of the respondents say that they make the first draft of their article or reaction
paper. Also, 46.67% of the respondents check and edit their works and 33.33% of the
respondents finalize their drafts for submission. Only 20% of the respondents are doing
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background readings and research on their topic. Moreover, 16.67% of the respondents
conceptualize synthesized information and think of a better angle of the article. Only
tworespondents consider their audience in writing articles and reaction papers; while,
another two think of the title and make second draft.
It is noteworthy that only one student makes an outline in writing articles or reaction
paper. This is despite the importance of making an outline as stated bythe American
University Academic Support Center (2009). This was also taught and emphasized in
DEVC 20 (Introduction to Development Journalism) subject as part of the techniques for
effective writing.
Steps in writing that the respondents had difficulties with.The respondents were
asked to identify the steps which find difficult when they write articles and reaction papers.
These are as follows: (1) checking and editing of articles; (2) identifying a topic; (3) making
the first draft; (4) data gathering like interviews and research; (5) conceptualizing/
synthesizing and angling; (6) making a lead; (7) writing final draft; (8) researching on
background knowledge on the topic and; (9) thinking of a title.
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Table 2.Respondents’ steps inwriting articles
IDENTIFIED STEPS RESPONDENTS (N=30)
IN WRITING ARTICLES
FREQUENCY *
PERCENTAGE (%)
Data gathering / interview/research
23
76.67
First draft
19
63.33
14
46.67
Checking/Editing
10
33.33
Final draft
8
26.67
Identify your topic
20
Research on the topic/ background
6
knowledge
5
16.67
Conceptualize/
synthesis/
5w
1h/angling
2
6.67
Think of title
2
6.67
Know your audience
2
6.67
Second draft
1
3.33
Write your outline
* Multiple Responses
Table 3 shows that twenty three percent (23.33%) of the respondents encounter
difficulty in checking and editing their articles and reaction papers while (20%) of the
respondents were being hard up in making their first draft. On the other hand, onlyfive of
them find difficulty in data gathering. One found it difficult to derive title, lead, and to
makethe final draft. Another found it difficult to consider audience and conducta
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background study. It is noted that the respondents found difficulties during the course of
writing even though they often follow them.
Information gathering of the respondents.Table 4 shows that when the respondents
gather information from the internet and printed materials, more than half (66.67%) of the
respondents just copy and paste a whole paragraph and present it as their own. Three of the
respondents copy a whole paragraph or the article and just change words in between while
only two of the respondents read articles and write an article out of what they had
understood and cite their sources as well. Moreover, only one of the respondents’ copies
and pastes segments from different articles and arranges them to make an article.
Table 3.Steps that the respondents had difficulties
IDENTIFIED STEPS THAT RESPONDENTS (N=30)
ARE DIFFICULT
FREQUENCY*PERCENTAGE (%)
Checking/Editing
7
23.33
First draft
6
20
5
16.67
Data gathering like interview/research
Conceptualize/ synthesis/ 5w 2
6.67
1 h/ angling
2
6.67
Making a lead
2
6.67
Final draft
1
3.33
Think of a title
1
3.33
Know your audience
1
3.33
Research on the topic/ background
knowledge
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*Multiple responses
Table 4.Information gathering of the respondents
METHODS OF
RESPONDENTS (n=30)
GATHERINGINFORMATION
FROM
THE
INTERNET
AND FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE (%)
PRINTED MATERIALS
Copying and pasting a whole paragraph
20
66.67
Did not answer
4
13.33
3
10
Copying a whole paragraph or
article and then changing some of
the words or statement in between
Reading the articles and write an
2
6.67
article and citing the sources
Copying
segments
from
1
3.33
different paragraphs of different
articles and then pasting and
arranging them to make one
article
It is not worthy that only two respondents make original articles from what they
have read and the rest make articles by copying and pasting from the internet and printed
materials. This is complementary to Minkel (2010) in his post that the issue today is that
there isa large number of college students who badly lift whole passages for their term
papers from other sources without citing.
Plagiarism Awareness Level
Awareness of the word Plagiarism.Table 5 shows that great majority (93.33%) of
the respondents knows the word plagiarism and only two of the respondents have not heard
of the word plagiarism. With this, the three Key Informants who are instructors of
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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DevComsaid that they tell their students what plagiarism is and its consequences. Instructor
C added that she still reminds her students on plagiarism at the earlier parts of her lesson.
Respondents’ citing sources.Quotation involves using the exact words, phrases and
sentences or the repeating of authors’ work word for word, setting them off with quotation
marks, and clearly referring where the information was taken from as defined by University
of Bedfordshire Learning Resources.
Further, citation is the use of ideas from a book, journal or article and the need to
acknowledge the author in your work as defined by Imperial College London. Table 6
shows that most (86.67%) of the respondents quote their sources when making articles.
Two of the respondents have pointed out that their instructors require them to cite their
sources so as not to be charged with plagiarism. One respondent said that it is not just the
right thing to do but because he feels the need to acknowledge also the writer of the original
article. One respondent mentioned that citing sources gives validity to the article and it
catches human interest. Another said that as DevCom students, they should not plagiarize.
Further, one respondent said that it is giving the readers a privilege to look for the original
writer if they want to look for it. On the other hand, three of the respondents sometimes do
not quote their sources because they often forget to do it especially when they are rushing
to finish their article.
Two respondents further explained that not it was until they enrolled in DevCom
that they had learned of citing sources. Moreover, one respondent said that she cites
depending on the popularity of the writer of the article where she got the information.
Table 5. Awareness of the word Plagiarism
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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RESPONDENTS (N=30)
AWARENESS OF THE
WORD PLAGIARISM FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE (%)
Aware
28
93.33
Not aware 2
6.67
Table 6.Respondents’citationof source s
RESPONDENTS (n=30)
THE NEED TO QUOTE OR
CITE SOURCES
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE (%)
Quoting or citing sources
26
86.67
Quoting and citing only
sometimes
3 10
Do not quote and cite
1 3.33
The same respondent said thatsince she was not used to citing the sources until she
enrolledin DevCom, she sometimes forget to do so.
Meanwhile, majority (86.67%) of the respondents know that citation is important
and that plagiarism is a crime. However, two of the respondentswould only cite if their
instructor requiredthem to do so even if they are aware that there is a need to cite sources.
Paraphrasing and making usingdirect quotation. The students were asked to
paraphrase and make a direct quotation from an article given to them by the researcher (See
Appendix A no. 9). Table 7 shows that only 26.66 % of the respondents know how to
paraphrase but they do not cite the source of information. There were 33.33% of the
respondents who did not know how to paraphrase. Instead, they just copied and pasted the
same words and sentences without putting citations.
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Nearly half (43.33%) of the respondents did not paraphrase and did not quote the
information directly, saying that they find it difficult to paraphrase and make a direct
quotations.
Identifying a plagiarized article.The students were asked to identify if the
paragraph presented to them was plagiarized or not (See Appendix A No. 10). Table 8
shows that in identifying whether an article was plagiarized or not, most (66.67%) of the
respondents was able to point out if the paragraph is plagiarized or not. On the other hand,
26.67% of the respondents were not able to correctly identify that the paragraph was
plagiarized. The paragraph presented was plagiarized because it lacked citations and the
words and sentences were just rearranged.
Table 7.Paraphrasing and making direct quotation
RESPONDENTS(N=30)
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE (%)
Case 1
Did not
1756.67
answer
Paraphrased 8 26.66
Made direct
quotation
5 23.33
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Table 8. Identifying plagiarized articles
CASE 2
RESPONDENTS (N=30) PLAGIARIZED OR NOT
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE (%)
Aware 17
66.67
Not Aware
8
26.67
Did not answer
5
16.67
Respondents’ Awareness on Plagiarism
This study proves that majority (93.33%) of the respondents are aware or have
heard of the word plagiarism.
Table 9 shows the awareness of the respondents on plagiarism. Case analysis
answerable by yes or no was given to test their awareness on plagiarism. The cases were
divided into four categories as follows: submitting someone else’s work, direct copying
from original sources or cut and paste, the use of common knowledge, and citing source/s
of used materials.
Contrary to the findings revealed in the Journal of Ramzenet al. (2012) that there
was a low level of awareness about plagiarism and university plagiarism policies and
processes amongst the students. The same study revealed that many of the respondents did
not understand what plagiarism is.
Submitting some else’s work or whole paper plagiarism. The first case presented
was when a student copied her classmate’s assignment word by word then cited her
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classmate. Based on the results, great majority of the respondents (97.67%) correctly
identified that the case presented is considered plagiarism.Section B of the Code of
Behavior on academic matter of University of Toronto states that all work submitted should
be done by the student even in laboratory work partner unless specified by the instructor.
Only one of the respondents answered that it is not plagiarism, but identified it only as
cheating.
Direct copying from original sources or cut and paste.Majority of the respondents
(90%) were aware that copying directly from original sources or the cutting and pasting
without processing the information and citing is plagiarism. Only three of the respondents
were not aware that this is a plagiarism case.One respondentsaid that she only uses it as
references and two of the respondents said that they had used many references so it is no
longer needed to cite sources.
Citing source/s of used material/s. Cases three and five were considered citing
source/s of used material/s. Case three is copying unpublished theses without citing the
original researchers even if it was acknowledged in the defense. Case five is downloading
power point and using it to class lecture without citing the sources of information. From
the result, nearly half (73.33%) of the respondents were aware that case number three is
plagiarism. Only eight (26.67%) of the respondents were not aware. When a researcher
compiled unpublished theses and made his thesis out of it, the need to cite the sources is
still a must regardless of whether it is published or not.Moreover, only twelve of the
respondents were aware that case five which is copying information from the internet and
presenting it in a lecture without citing the source is plagiarism.
Use of common knowledge.Case number four was considered use of common
knowledge. Majority (80%) of the respondents were aware that the useof common
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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knowledge without citing is not plagiarism.The Library Research Tips of NAIT (2009)
stated that facts known by a large number of people are said to be common knowledge and
if something is common knowledge, citing is generally unnecessary. Only16%of the
respondents were not aware that the use of common knowledge is not plagiarism. The result
implies that majority of them were aware of the use of common knowledge and only few
were not aware.
Thus, most of the respondents were aware of the different forms of plagiarism. The
use of downloaded information for class lecture and the use of unpublished theses without
citing the sources were the cases that respondents were not aware of. Further, some were
not aware that there is no need to cite the source if it is a common knowledge.
Table 9. Respondents’ awareness on plagiarism
CASE
AWARE
NOT AWARE
NUMBER PERCENTAGE
NUMBER PERCENTAGE
=30 (%)
=30 (%)
Submitting
some
else’s work or
whole
paper
29
96.67
1
3.33
plagiarism
Direct copying from
original sources or
27
90
3
10
cut and paste
Citing source/s of
used material/s
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A
22
73.33
8
26.67
B
12
40
17
56.67
Use of
24
80
5
16.67
common
knowledge
Respondents’ Reasons for Committing Plagiarism
Ease of the use of internet for copying and pasting. The vast accessibility of internet
makes gathering of any information needed easy. Table 10 shows that 46.67% of the
respondents need to get ideas from the internet for additional and broader or wider context
of ideas for their articles or reaction papers.
Also, 23.33% of the respondents need ideas from the internet to learn better ideas
and get supporting details for their articles or reaction papers. Further, 16.67% of the
respondents need the internet for validity, credibility and accuracy of information and to
have reliable sources and factual information. Only one of the respondents needs the
internet for correct grammar.
Thus, internet is the very option of the students to get information due to its
availability and accessibility.This is supported byMinkel (2010) that the battle is between
the Digital age- between unverifiable, unattributed information sitting around online and
the general ease with which young people obtain, alter, and share creative content on the
Internet. Because of this, students cannot seem to figure out that cheating on a paper is
wrong and a number of students cannot even tell that they are cheating or committing
plagiarism.
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Table 10. Reasons for copying information from the internet and printed materials
RESPONDENTS (N=30)
REASONS
FREQUENCY *
PERCENTAGE (%)
For more/ additional information
14
46.67
and broader, wider context of ideas.
Also to learn a better idea and to get
23.33
supporting ideas / details
7
5
16.67
For validity, credibility and
accuracy of the article or reaction paper
To have more reliable sources and
5
16.67
factual information
Correct grammar
1
3.33
*Multiple Responses
Respondents’ attitude towards writing articles.Table 11 shows that half (50%) of
the respondents rush in making their articles due to lack of time and meeting other subjects’
requirements. Some stated that they find their work better when rushing; others are more
satisfied with their work when it was rushed and they believe that they think better when
rushing. Only 23.33% of the respondents do not rush in making articles and reaction papers
because they care about their grades, and when they rush they know that result is not good
and substantial. One of the respondents said that as students they are obliged to do things
on time. There are 20% of the respondents who sometimes rush because they lack time
management.With this, it can be deduced that most of the respondents rush in making
articles even instructors give enough time (see Table 11).
This complements the study of Batane (2010) that 75% of the respondents tend to plagiarize
because of other assignments from other subjects.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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Required time for writing articles.Table 12 shows that 90% of the respondents say
that instructors give enough time for them to make their requirements which is
contradictory to the study of Bamford and Serguio (2005) that the main reason for students
to plagiarize is due to lack of time or time pressure. Only 7% of the respondents say that
instructors do not give enough time for them to make their requirements.
Table 11. Respondents’ attitude towards writing articles
RESPONDENTS (N=30)
WRITING RUSHED FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE (%)
ARTICLES
Who rushed
15
50
Who do not rushed
7
23.33
Sometimes rushed
6
20
6.67
Did not answer
2
Table 12. Required time given by instructors
RESPONDENTS (N=30)
ENOUGH TIME WAS
GIVEN
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE (%)
Given enough time
27
90
Not given enough time
2
6.67
Did not answer
1
3.33
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Thus, there should be no reason for the students to rush but they still do despite the
given time for them to make it. Instructors A and B also mentioned that students were given
at least one week which is long enough to accomplish their requirement.
Respondents’ length of time in making articles.Table 13 shows that most (43.33%)
of the respondents can make articles in a matter of days and 36.67% of them can make
articles in hours while only three of the respondents take a week or weeks in writing.
Most of the respondents took only days for them to make articles yet half of them
still rush despite enough time given to them to write their articles.
Respondents’ availability of resources.Table 14 shows that most (66.67%) of the
respondents have resources for their requirements like internet, books and other printed
materials. Thus, there is no reason for the respondents to rush because they have available
resources and it is rare that they lack sources depending on the topic.
Respondents’ information sources.Table 15 shows that due to rampant technology
like the internet, using the web is the most (93.33%) used source of information by the
respondents in making articles and reaction papers. The second most common (90%) used
sources are interviews, newspapers and television followed by a (86%) combination of the
sources. Using books is the least (83.33%) source of information being used by the
respondents. The internet is the most used sources of information due to its availability and
the online jobs that’s makes writing articles and reaction papers easy. This is
complementary to Terry’s (2007) statement that companies selling assignments to students
are a challenge to universities on the students’ plagiarism.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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However, in the study of Gulian (2009), there are only 61% or more than half of
the respondents who used internet and television as source of information while most (81%)
used books. Thus, presently with the wide availability of internet, easy access to
information, the students widely use the internet this is complementary to the article of
Howard and Davies (2009) that with large information and answers from the internet, many
observed that internet itself is the culprit for students’ plagiarism.
Table 13.Respondents’ length of time in making articles
SPAN OF TIME IN RESPONDENTS (N=30)
MAKING ARTICLES
FREQUENCY
PERCENTAGE (%)
Days
13
43.33
Hours
11
36.67
A week or weeks Did
3
10
not answer
3
10
Table 14 . Availability of sources
AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES
RESPONDENTS (N=30 )
FREQUENCY PERC ENTAGE (%)
Have resources
20
66.67
Sometimes have resources
3
10
It depends
2
6.67
Did not answer
4
13.33
No
resources1
3.33
Table 15. Respondents’ Information Sources
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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SOURCES OF INFORMATION
FREQUENCY*
PERCENTAGE
N=30
( % )
Internet
28
93.33
Interviews
27
90
Television
27
90
Newspaper
27
90
Combination
26
86.67
Books
25
83.33
All
23
76.67
*Multiple Responses
DevCom subjects that the respondents have difficulty with. Table 16 shows that
40 % of the respondents are being hard up in making articles and reaction papers for their
DEVC 20 subject. This is followed by DEVC 50 and DEVC 40 with four respondents and
three respondents, respectively.
It was observed that the respondents found difficulty in making articles or reaction
papers in the DEVC 20 subject because it has much more writing and research activities
and two are being hard up with DEVC 30 subject because they are only required to lay-out
Information Education Communication (IEC0 materials but not much on writing.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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Table 16.DevCom subjects therespondents found difficult inwriting article or reaction
paper
SUBJECTS
NUMBER
PERCENTAGE
(30)
(100 % )
DEVC 20
12
40
DEVC 40
4
13.33
DEVC 50
4
13.33
All
3
10
DEVC 30
2
6.67
DEVC 20 and 30
2
6.67
DEVC 20 and 40
1
3.33
DEVC 20 and 50
1
3.33
Did not answer
1
3.33
*Multiple Responses
Methods used by DEVCOM teachers
to IdentifyPlagiarize Articles or Reaction Papers
DevCom teachers’ profile.Three instructors were taken from the Department of
Development Communication as Key Informants of the study.All the instructors were
InstructorIand have been teaching for two years and above and have been teaching almost
all of the DevCom subjects. Instructor A has been teaching DevC 11, DevC 70, DevC
141, DevC 20, DevC 30 and DevC 40. Instructor B has been teaching DevC 143, DevC
30, 40 and 50, STS 11, DevC 150, DevC 11, DevC 130 and 131, DevC 141 and DevC 120
while Instructor C has been teaching almost all the DevCom subjects except someDevJourn
subjects, EdCom subjects and SciCom subjects.
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How plagiarized articles and reaction papers are checked. In checking students’
requirements, especially articles and reaction papers,InstructorAcheckedfirst if the student
puts the questions to be answered on the paper before reading the article. InstructorA uses
a certain criteria or rubric in checking her students’ requirements, therefore she checks if
the main points/answers are present, including correct spelling and grammar construction.
Moreover, instructor A checks also if the student follows the DDC form and style and also
gives points for citing/ writing sources or references.On the other hand, Instructor B stated
that if the article is almost perfect ,she copies a phrase from the article and verifies it on
the internet if it is copied from an article on the internet.
InstructorB makes a note on a small paper for the student.
All the three Instructors (A, B and C) give warning and talk to the student
personally.Further, InstructorAstated that most students do not cite their sources. Some just
copy and paste information without processing it and some use the informationout of
context like giving examples that do not match the required topic. Furthermore, instructors
A and B found it hard to check the articles because it is as if the student’s credibility and
honesty is put into question.
Moreover, the instructors find it more difficult to identify information copied from
printed materials compared to information copied from the internet.In addition, among the
various sources,the internet is the most used source of information by the students followed
by books then media materials like newspapers and television. The least used source is
interviews.
Furthermore,Instructor A said that articles for DEVC 20 and 50 are the most
plagiarized because these require much writing activities. Instructor C said that aside from
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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DEVC 20 or the journalism subjects, even DEVC 11, DEVC 197 and theses are being
plagiarized.
How plagiarized articles are verified. The Key Informantssaid that they know the
writing performance of their students so that by reading the students’ requirement, they can
assess whether it is plagiarized or not. When the article is almost perfect ,without
grammatical errors and if the instructor is doubtful, she copies the phrase and checks it on
the internet to see if it is plagiarized or not. The instructors also consult with each other
regarding the writing abilities of the student in question and then decide whether the student
should be called for verification.
In addition, plagiarized articles are given deductions or no point. Instructors give
warning to students who are caught plagiarizing.However, if the content of the article is
highly plagiarized, the student is required to write another.
Because plagiarism can’t be avoided especially for the first years,the instructors
said that orientation should be given on the very first day of classes to explain what
plagiarism is and its consequences.
The instructors further said that students plagiarize because articles or assignments
are not fully or strictly being checked. In addition, students who plagiarize the first time
are not reprimanded which is complementary to Checker’s (2010) statement that many
teachers, who find it very tough to go through each word of student’s academic
requirements and then giving them the grade accordingly just check out the views of the
students. In addition, Checker (2010) said that once students get the success in cheating
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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the teachers, they begin losing the interest of making their own ideas and start developing
the habit of plagiarism.
Instructor C mentioned that some students lack the humility to accept that they get
information from other authors. She also mentioned that respondents are not confident
enough to make their own work which is complimentary to what Sallegue (2011) stated in
her article that some students think that works of others are better than theirs.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted to know the awareness and practice of second year
Development Communication students regarding plagiarism. Specifically, the study
identified how the respondents make their academic requirements, their level of awareness
on the definition of plagiarism, their reasons for committing plagiarism, which DevCom
subject requirement they plagiarize most and to identify their sources of information.
Moreover, the study determined the methods of instructors in identifying plagiarized
articles and to enumerate suggested measures to discipline those who commit plagiarism.
A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 30 respondents together with
interview schedules with three instructors of DevCom. Data gathered was analyzed and
interpreted using descriptive frequencies and percentages.
All of the 30 respondents were second year Development Communication students
regardless of the major field. All of the respondents had been writing articles even before
taking DevCom but 63% of them finds it difficult to make an article or reaction paper. The
respondents do not have the same scheme in writing their articles.
Making the first draft and checking and editing their articles were identified as the
most difficult steps in writing articles. Moreover, respondents rushed in writing their
academic requirements despite ample time given by the instructors.
Majority (93.33%) of the respondents are aware of the word plagiarism. More than
half (66.67%) of the respondents can identify whether an article is plagiarized or not. 42
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Furthermore, most of the respondents were much aware of the different types of
plagiarism and five of them also were not aware that there is no need to cite if it is a
common knowledge.
Moreover, respondents quote their sources because it is required by the instructors
and because they know that plagiarism is a crime. There were some of the respondents who
do not paraphrase because they find it hard to do so.
Due to wide access and availability of information from the internet, it is the most
used source of the respondents for ideas while books as the least used. On the other hand,
the use of internet also is the instructors’ basic tool in identifying whether an article or
reaction paper is plagiarized or not aside from knowing the students capability in writing.
Further, instructors give a lot time for their students to write their academic requirement
and always remind them of plagiarism.
Conclusions
1.
Second year Development Communication students find it difficult to write
theiracademic requirements despite knowing the steps in writing. Moreover, even if they
were aware of the word plagiarism, most of them copy and paste information from the
internet being the most accessible and available source of information;
2.
The students rush in writing their academic requirements despite the ample
time given to them by their instructors; and,
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
3.
DevComInstructors have a system in identifying whether an article of their
student is plagiarized or not however, no specific computer program is used to rigidly check
on cases of plagiarism.
43
Recommendations
1.
Since the chances for students to plagiarize is higher if the article is assigned
as take homewhere internet is highly accessible, it is recommended that requirements be
written inside the classroom during laboratory time.
2.
Students should internalize the ethical and legal considerations of
plagiarism so that they will avoid committing it.
3.
Instructors should continue motivating the students to write their own article
andbe strict with the implementation of deadlines of the academic requirements.
4.
It is recommended that there be an institutionalization of the rules
andregulations by the Department of DevComon plagiarism.
5.
The Department of DevCom may adopt a standard mechanism for checking
on plagiarism.
Awareness and Practice of Plagiarism in the Requirements among Sophomore Development
Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013
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Communication Students of Benguet State University | CALLISEN, CARISSA M. APRIL 2013