Linkworthy: Plagiarized.com

Plagiarized.com calls itself the “definitive guide to Internet plagiarism” and certainly strives to be exactly that. But even though it falls somewhat short on that grandiose claim, for reasons I’ll mention below, it certainly is a very useful source, especially for those who are interested mainly in academic plagiarism.

What I like about the site is how it takes a very honest and balanced approach to the issue. Unlike most academic plagiarism sites that simply try to sell a product, this one actually dismisses plagiarism detection services and encourages more realistic solutions such as better assignment design and honest research into the paper’s origins. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Also, I’m very happy that Plagiarized.com has several sections that talk directly to parents in getting their help in stopping plagiarism. Obviously, most academic plagiarism is perpetrated by students, but also, in my experience, most Internet plagiarism for personal use is done by students as well. Out of the hundreds of incidents of plagiarism I’ve handled, only a handful have involved individuals older than 25.

Of course, my site tends to draw a younger crowd to it. Needless to say, your experiences may differ.

What I find missing from the site is any general information about plagiarism for personal use. Though it has a great deal of good information for students, parents and instructors on academic plagiarism, it never even pays lip service to the other side of plagiarism, personal use, and never addresses copyright holders directly.

As I’ve said many times before, cooperation between academics and copyright holders is going to be the most effective means of stopping plagiarism in both the public and academic sector. It’s sad to see the distinction still being made, but it’s definitely nice to have a good ally in the war against plagiarism and to see someone taking a realistic stance on the issue.

I only wish more people would do that rather than trying to make a quick buck selling easy, but largely ineffective, solutions.

[tags]Plagiarism, Content Theft, Copyright, Copyright Infringement[/tags]

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