Discussion of Academic Ethics (Writing Assessment)
Suppose there were no rules for conduct of ethical research and no software to detect plagiarism. Would it matter? Why or why not? Discuss.
Ethics are an important part in of life. Those who are not ethical in their personal conduct will not likely be ethical in their professional lives. Given the potential for unethical behavior in both personal and professional settings, it makes sense that we should have computer programs designed to check for plagiarism in order to identify and stop this type of unethical behavior within the professional world.
Some people cheat on their taxes. They usually rationalize this behavior by claiming that "everyone does it "therefore, it is "ok" to do. People have also been known to park handicapped zones in parking lots if they are just running into a bank, for example, to quickly deposit a check rather than park in a space further away from the door that is not marked as handicapped. While in the bank, what if someone pulls into the parking lot that needs this space? That fact that people do these things in their personal lives suggests that they will also act unethically in their professional lives as well.
As we have seen, people can act unethically in both their personal and professional lives because of these tendencies, it is a good idea that plagiarism detection software exists to help catch and prevent this type of behavior in professional settings.
As we have seen, plagiarized research means one is likely to be dishonest in their personal life and their work life. Software to detect these type of problems is a step toward "rooting out" these less savory people from the workforce. We should use the technology to improve public perception of researchers and to keep people honest in life
Consider the following prompt and compose your response in a 4 - 6 paragraph essay with supporting examples:
Prompt: Suppose there were no rules for conduct of ethical research and no software to detect plagiarism. Would it matter? Why or why not? Discuss.