An ethical dilemma: Talking about plagiarism and academic integrity in the digital age

Thomas, Ebony Elizabeth, & Sassi, Kelly. (2011). An ethical dilemma: Talking about plagiarism and academic integrity in the digital age. English Journal, 100(6), 47-53.

Here is a concise introduction to the issue of plagiarism and how there are changing views of that concept in an age when digital information is abundant, available, and frequently accessed. With the changing times, technologies, and ethical norms, young students may perceive plagiarism and academic honesty in different ways than do their teachers, even those teachers who are relatively young and technology-savvy. This sets up ethical conflicts, and can lead to a desire to punish, to decry the dissolution of ethics, and to become suspicious of everything students write. The authors sympathize with these frustrations, but point to a better way, stating that we need to talk with students about these issues and dilemmas, and try to understand how today’s students are thinking about academic honesty. That is what the authors did in a diverse ninth grade classroom, and they share snippets of the dialogue that resulted as the students talked about texting during tests (!), plagiarism, and copying others’ work.

I agree that we must have such conversations with students, and we must have them proactively, rather than waiting until an infraction occurs and then reacting punitively. Although students may challenge our definitions of plagiarism, and differ with us about what is and is not a serious infraction, as the students in this article did, these discussions could become a learning experience for all concerned. The students can learn to think deeply about ethical issues and about how ethics may be different across contexts. The teachers can learn about how their students are thinking, and can become educated about how in some contexts collaboration and sharing are a part of the process of constructing meaning. These kinds of knowledge can help us to better address plagiarism, meeting it honestly, openly, and directly in our classrooms, and trying to keep an open mind while still maintaining standards of integrity. To me, the most important lesson learned here is that the learning must go two ways, rather than just becoming a “sermon” accompanied by dire threats. Having experienced firsthand the “kicked-in-the-stomach” feelings of anger and betrayal that accompany the discovery of plagiarism, and the dread of the inevitable confrontation that such a discovery requires, I know how difficult but how necessary having such conversations with students is. The trick is to find the right moment, the right tone, the right classroom climate, and the right words, prompts, and examples to open up an honest and productive discussion. A wrong move could kill any possibility of that, so it all must be approached carefully and with a good deal of soul-searching.

This article was a helpful beginning, but only scratched the surface of the topic. I’m grateful to the authors for their mentioning of a couple of important resources, the intellectual property caucus of the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and Creative Commons. I plan to do some googling and look into these sites.