The internet has opened up a world of answers that students can so easily copy and claim as their own. But it's the job of the English department to lecture against plagiarism, right? WRONG. We are all responsible for making sure that we emphasize good practices when students do research and compile answers to turn in for credit.
I try to educate students by telling them that they are allowed, just as teachers are, to do a presentation in which they use images and documents to make their point to the class. This is an acceptable defense that teachers may use in copyright court called Fair Use (see my previous blog for a summary or http://www.fairuse.org/.
Students work is their own intellectual property as soon as it is recorded in any means. But once they publish plagiarized work on the open internet, copy text without using quotation marks, or fail to reference the original owner of the material, they may be exposing themselves to legal or school penalties. Working with them and forcing them to get it right will reinforce what their English teacher tells them and keep them from getting in major trouble in college.
Have your students take this quiz to see what they know about copyright laws. See what you know too!
Here's a video I give to my students to help them write a reference section for their online sources.
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