Doug Johnson

Scenario 11 (Property)
Albert finds a site on the Internet that is a repository of old term papers. He downloads one on ancient Greece, changes the title, and submits it as his own.

Questions:

• What is the property?
• Who is its owner?
• What danger or discomfort might the unethical action cause?
• How might teachers change assignments to make them less likely to be found on term paper Internet sites?
• Is there a parallel in the physical world to this scenario?
• Can you think of other incidents that would fall into this category?
  

Comments:
Academic work is increasingly available for sale or download from the Internet from a number of sites. Schools Sucks <www.schoolsucks.com> is probably one of the oldest and best know. Online services now offer help in writing “personal” essays requested for college admissions offices. How are such services alike or unlike ghostwritten biographies and speeches of celebrities and politicians?

One way teachers can help defeat the use of such sites is to ask for papers that call for original thoughts and conclusions. Does your child’s teacher ask for papers that call for creativity? See also Plagiarism-Proofing Assignments.