Considering the Implications of Plagairism on Student Identity

Valentine, Kathryn.  “Plagiarism as Literacy Practice: Recognizing and Rethinking Ethical Binaries”.  College Composition and Communication.  58.1 (Sept. 2006), pg. 89-109.  

“Plagiarism as Literacy Practice” by Kathryn Valentine emphasizes the point made in Ritter’s “The Economics of Authorship”, that students may not be fully informed about what constitutes plagiarism, and professors should take this under advisement both when instructing students and when whistle blowing.  This article implies that plagiarizing in the American academic community is akin to committing academic suicide; being labeled as a plagiarizer can result in the student being ostracized by academic institutions, publishers, and members of the community (90-91).  It is important that students know the implications plagiarizing has on their identity as well as the mechanics for citations so that they understand why it is important for them not to make mistakes when citing sources.

According to Valentine, students with extensive practice in citing sources may realistically be expected to cite sources automatically, but to students without such a background, it is unfair to rest their academic identity on methodology they have little experience with without explaining the implication not citing has on their reputation (93). The example Valentine gives in her article is of Lin, an international student from China who was given an academic hearing for improperly citing sources in his paper and including little of his own words or opinions.  While this practice was unacceptable by American standards, it was acceptable by Chinese standards. Despite the cultural divide, however, Lin got a permanent warning on his academic record. (99-100) Professors and Instructors need to be aware the plagiarism, especially among international students, or students with a untraditional or educationally underprivileged background, doesn’t necessarily connote a dishonest or deceptive personality (101). Valentine also calls for professors to not only teach the mechanics but also to explicitly describe citations and plagiarism as literacy practices, that is, make sure that students recognize the fact that citations are one part of the academic world that they cannot make mistakes in, and must always be aware of in the context of the field they are writing for (105). 

Both Valentine’s article and Ritter’s article made me more aware of the fact that plagiarism isn’t necessarily general knowledge to all students by the time they start attending their College Composition class. I now realize that I must make sure to make time during the semester to fully explain the methodology of a citation and the affect that failing to cite might have on the student’s academic identity.