chekmate

Man oh Man do I have stories:

• I kid in my class plagerized a whole paper from the school library that the teacher had written!
• Another kid just printed a website and handed it in, ads, urls, links, and all.
• My European History teacher would write essays with deliberatly incorrect information, and put them on those essay sites
• Same teacher said told us that those sites that advertise "need an essay? We got em!" to students also advertise "Think you see plagerism? Come on in!" to professors.
• Someone plagiarised a paper about Germinal in an introductory history course, and the paper was making references to 16th century French Philosophers, and the Abstract calender or some shit like that. Paper length recommended: 3-5 pages. This person's paper: 13. Stupid fucker...

In summary, plagairism isn't worth it, and you'll probably get cought anyway. If you are going to plagairize, and make it look enough like your own to pass it off, then you might as well write the paper yourself for the amount of work you have to do.

Proxima Centauri

I've read William Lane Craig. He didn't make sense but I found it hard to find out why.

Proxima Centauri

Accessing and evaluating information is not critical to survival, I agree there. Despite this a University degree is so valuable that young people worldwide are prepared to give three years of their lives and pay course fees to get one. In my opinion teaching research as well a traditional essays and unseen examinations will improve the value of a degree. There should be a balance between research and traditional teaching.

I have read the bogus stuff in your link. Thank you for bringing our attention to it. I hope Governments will take note and avoid channeling public resources to, "Academic Excellence" of the type shown in the link.

Boro Nut

Oh that is so easy for you to say. Have you ever tried plagiarism? No, I thought not. It's not easy you know. I bet you think us plagiarists are having a whale of a time. Well let me tell you it's not all strawberries and earwax. If I knew now what I stole back then I wouldn't be in half the mess I am. If I had only known what exam paper I was copying I wouldn't have done it, and my life would have been so different. And I was good you know. I could have been a tracer.

And it does nothing for your self esteem either. I can hardly bear to look in the mirror any more. And then to top it all, last week I thought I had actually caught talent, but it turned out to be cancer. I hope you're proud of yourself.

Boro Nut

Great topic by the way. Do you mind if I post it on another discussion board?

Boro Nut

Don't whinge. You were lucky they let you back in so often.

Boro Nut

diana

You never fail to disappoint, Boro.

BTW, what's this?
You're seeing another bulletin board behind our backs? Say it isn't so.

Worshipping you from afar,

d

Writer@Large

B. Shack, I'm sorry that I've just found this topic. I think it's a wonderful idea. I'm something of a plagiarism crusader in my department, especially concerning the Internet. I had to teach some of the less tech-saavy profs how to do something as simple as a Google search to find potentially plagiarized essays. I not only like the idea, but I'd be willing to lend my support and time to such an enterprise, if you could use it.

DC, too funny!

--W@L

Writer@Large

Too true. I love it when papers suddenly "spike" in quality; they make it so easy! My favorite incident:

I had a student in Freshman Comp who (I shit you not) didn't know that two spaces went after a period. He would alternate between one space and no space. I corrected him several times, but he never quite got it. Then, a third of the way through his second full essay, suddenly, his sentences suddenly had proper spacing ... and then went back to his normal spacing for the conclusion. I was stunned at the ineptitude.

--W@L

Boro Nut

He must have had his fair share of black eyes then. I usually give our lass a good 10 yards for at least a week after hers.

Boro Nut

pz

But you aren't supposed to put two spaces after a period! That's not the modern convention, especially if you are using a proportional font, in which case it doesn't make much sense to do it.

This has been the subject of a fair amount of discussion -- see: One Versus Two Spaces After a Period and One Space or Two. They both reference Robin Williams' great little book, The Mac is Not a Typewriter.