art A: Search for sources
Use the guidelines you received during your journey through the land of Information Literacy to find articles on student plagiarism at university level. The main sources you must use are:
• A 2003 academic article by Chris Park titled “In Other (People’s) Words: Plagiarism by university students–literature and lessons”.
• A chapter in a 2008 e-book, edited by Heidi Watkins, in which Jonathan Malesic writes that plagiarism is the result of students who are unwilling to learn. The full text of the e-book is available in the library.
Once you have read these sources, you must find at least two of your own academic sources that also provide reasons for why university students plagiarise.
Part B: Write an introduction
Use the guidelines you received in the Academic Literacy part of the module (especially Week 12) to write an introductory paragraph to your essay on plagiarism by university students.
These are the minimum requirements for the introductory paragraph.
• There should be a clear thesis statement.
• The paragraph should provide a roadmap for the essay.
• The paragraph should be approximately 100 words long.
• You should use academic register.
Part C: Write two paragraphs to formulate your argument
After your introduction you need to use the academic sources that you found to explain why university students plagiarise. Write two paragraphs (after the introduction) according to the requirements set out below.
Paragraph 1:
• First, define academic plagiarism.
• Summarise the reasons why university students plagiarise as identified by Park and the two additional academic sources you found.
• Include a strong topic sentence.
• Include one direct quotation from Park (correctly cited according to the Harvard (Stellenbosch) referencing method).
• Include paraphrased content that uses and combines the voices of different authors (also correctly referenced).
• Cite at least three authors in this paragraph (including Park)
• The paragraph should be approximately 250 words long.
aragraph 2:
• Read the chapter by Jonathan Malesic and decide whether you agree or disagree with him about the reasons why students plagiarise.
• Write a strong topic sentence.
• Include at least three supporting statements that support your own argument.
• Include one direct quote from Malesic (correctly cited according to the Harvard (Stellenbosch) referencing method).
• Include paraphrased content that uses and combines the voices of different authors (also correctly referenced).
• Cite at least three authors in this paragraph (including Malesic). You may use one or more of the sources you cited in paragraph 1 in this paragraph.
• The paragraph should be approximately 250 words long.
Part D: Write a conclusion
Write a concluding paragraph for your essay. These are the minimum requirements for the conclusion.
• You must summarise the key information in your essay.
• You must reinforce your own point of view.
• The paragraph should be approximately 150 words long.
art E: Create a reference list
Indicate all the sources you used in your essay as a reference list according to the Harvard (Stellenbosch) method. Go to the Library Guide for referencing and look at the A-Z examples (https://libguides.sun.ac.za/c.php?g=742962&p=5316902).
art F: Format your document
Format your essay as one MS Word document according to the following criteria:
• Use Times New Roman font, 11 pt. size, 1.5 line spacing.
• Set the paragraph spacing to 8 pt spacing after each paragraph.
• Do not use the ENTER key to create spacing.
• Do not use subheadings.
• Write a title for your essay and place it in 14 pt. bold font before your introductory paragraph.
• Use the “page break” option to place your reference list on a new page.
• Add page numbers.
• Insert an automatic cover page (using the “Integral” template). Make sure to change the picture and document title on this cover page to suit your essay. Include the module name.
• Delete your student number/name/email address from the cover page. Your essay should be submitted anonymously.
