Skip to Main Content
live chat

Teaching Resources for Webster University Faculty

A bibliography of print and online books on the scholarship of teaching along with a list of journals dedicated fully or partially to the same topic.

Academic integrity and plagiarism

Why Do Students Plagiarize?

 Internet/electronic resources                           

  •  access to a variety of plagiarized resources via the internet including customized papers
  •  cutting and pasting
  • Cultural shifts in perceptions of honesty and integrity
  • Student error and attitudes
  • limited high school preparation for college level writing        
  • lack of instruction
  • focus on grades/fear of failure, especially for those who are performing weakly
  • outside pressures—illness, jobs, time constraints, financial factors, parental pressure, etc.
  • procrastination/time management—fear of failure/excitement of stress/work better under pressure          
  • uncertainty over documentation rules—especially for beginning freshmen
    • no author,  common knowledge, etc.                                                                                    
    • blurred lines between individual and collaborative learning
  • changing perceptions of intellectual property-- file sharing, music downloads, Wikipedia, etc. free material doesn’t need to be cited   
    • more relaxed view of “cheating” in younger culture/the ends justify the means
  • philosophy/everyone does it
    • don’t see copying from someone else as plagiarism                                        
    • victimless crime
  • desire to “beat the system” or lack of “integration” with university culture/class
  • faculty issues           
  • assignments that are too general/only require a final draft
  • long-term deadlines that lead to procrastination
  • inconsistent campus policies and responses
  • demands of larger classes and extensive resources
  • avoidance of confrontation