Friday, October 31, 2008

Thieving punts

49% of students at Cambridge University have admitted to plagiarism, according to an online survey.

“Sometimes when I am really fed up,” said one student, “I Google the essay title, copy and throw everything on to a blank Word document and jiggle the order a bit. They usually end up being the best essays.”

But isn't that how everyone always writes everything?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What? You mean you google your own blog-posts once you've thought up a title?

(wv: curbona = camp dog)

Christopher said...

49% of Cambridge University dons have admitted to escalierism, according to an on-line survey.

"Sometimes when I'm really fed up," said one don, "I gather together all the essays, the original of which I wrote in the first place, and then I throw the whole sheaf down the stairs. Those that land nearest the top step get an alpha ++. Those that land at the bottom get a delta--.

"Some of my colleagues make paper aeroplanes out of them, and mark them according to the distance they fly. In my opinion this is truly invidious. I intend to pursue escalierism until anyone comes up with a fairer system."

Rog said...

I notice the law students have a 62% plagiarism rate. As all law is referring back to what's gone before that should be 100% surely?

(writes a curbona)

Fat Roland said...

My own opinion is that's how everyone always writes everything.

Wait... hold on...

amyonymous said...

here's one: i have students who use their cellphones during essay tests to look up sparknotes.com and get semi-intelligent analysis of the book they are supposed to be writing about. now i have to have all students put their phones on the desk before a test.

glad to come here and get away from all the political blogs that are not satisfying me by predicting the election with absolute certainty!

Tim F said...

Possibly, Pleite. But where do I get the title?

Christopher: I had a history teacher who calculated marks based on a complex algorithm involving both the length of the essay and the author's batting average.

Quite right, Murph. But if you say that, the buggers can sue you.

That's not plagiarism, Roland, it's hommage.

Is there an election going on, Amy? Must admit I hadn't noticed. Who's in it?

amyonymous said...

"Is there an election going on, Amy? Must admit I hadn't noticed. Who's in it?"

just a couple of your standard politicians spouting promises, nothing to get worked up about.

yeah, right.

llewtrah said...

I found one of my web articles on an essays-for-sale site.

I also got a snotty email from a USAnian high school teacher saying i should take one of my articles offline because her students were copying it. Okaaaay - so her students' dishonesty means I am not entitled to publish my own work?

The best fun one was licensing some work under the GFDL and creating the Wikipedia page using the licensed text and it got removed by one of their Wiki-nazis for copyright violation. Boy did I have fun taking the Wiki-nazi to task over ignoring the licence on my webpage! I mean, how can i plagiarise my own work?