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How to Teach Students About Plagiarism in the Classroom

Along with math, reading, science, and many other subjects, it is the teacher’s responsibility to instill ethics in their students, starting at a young age. This includes teaching them about plagiarism in all of its forms and how it can affect not only their grade, but also how they take in information. While every teacher approaches the topic differently (school procedures vary), here a few ideas to cover when sharing with your students.

What are the different forms of plagiarism?

The first step to helping students understand what is plagiarism, is to familiarize yourself with the various forms. Every teacher and school has their own way of deciding if a certain form deserves more penalty over the others, but educating each student is the best way for them to learn right from wrong.

How to Create References and Citations

There are all kinds of citations  and your preferred form may be different from the science teacher down the hall, and is most likely extremely different from the professor your student will have a class with in five years. Helping them understand why they need citations (give the original author credit) and how to create a citation is one of the most important lessons they will use later in life.

Check themselves before they wreck themselves

Showing students cases of plagiarism (accidental and purposeful) will help them know what to look out for when they are writing assignments for class. It’s also a good idea to get them in the habit of scanning their work and checking that they didn’t forget citations or committed accidental plagiarism.

Students will be two steps ahead when you teach them about how to avoid plagiarism, in your classroom and after.

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