The statistics says that 25% of students currently enrolled in US colleges and universities cheat and plagiarize essays, term papers, and research work they are assigned. Colleges utilize plagiarism detection systems of different kinds and of different prices to spot and stop copy-pasting. The question that I want to raise is why do many teachers support plagiarism? Sounds untrue? Read on then.

I work as an editing director of www.BrightMindsNet.com, the writing assistance company, and I communicate with confused students that look for writing help and escape every single day. Statistics again: the number of students that require help with writing has increased by 44% since 1999. While educators are looking for the ways to stop plagiarism, nobody really pays attention to the reasons of its existence.

Here is the checklist for the teachers who understand the problem of cheating and who feel that they can do more than just stuff every paper to plagiarism detection systems.

Do your students have enough time?
Great number of students look for the way to cheat because the lack of time. Most college students hold part-time jobs that naturally minimize their time for studying. In my opinion, instructors should keep in mind that students need more than a sleepless night to complete the assigned essay or paper successfully.

You give your students a week to write a research paper, why not giving them 2 or 3 weeks instead? By providing the instructions for the essay that should be turned back in 2 weeks you give a possibility to your students to manage their time better.

Would you like to write this paper yourself?
Before you give the assignment take a minute to think, is this something that YOU would enjoy writing about? Think about the possible ways for changing the assignment and making it interesting for researching and writing. Maybe you should make it useful, something that your students could use in the future. Replace theory with practice.

Do you keep your essay topics and instructions updated?
You give this assignment every semester for the last 5 years? It’s about time to change it. Give your students something entirely new and creative. Let them make a discovery. Go to Google and try to find free essays on the topic you want to assign. You have found several essays? CHANGE the assignment.

Do your students express their own thoughts in their writing?
Some students that we assist ask us to incorporate their teachers’ thoughts in the essay: “Would you please include in the paper that by saying “this” the author meant “that”, because this is what my professor wants to hear”.

Don’t lower the grades if a student thinks differently than you do, let him explain his point of view. Encourage their own thoughts, views and feeling, don’t try to tell your students what is correct. You are the authority for them, they will take your words as the truth and will not take time think about the issue you are stressing. Let them doubt your words sometimes, they will learn more debating this issue with you and will remember it longer.

How important the assignment is for your students?
Make your assignment important for the future career of your students. Let them research something that they will be able to use later. They will be eager to work if they know that this work is not just for passing the subject. Try to make them comfortable with any grade you give them. Let them know what they did right, don’t mark the mistakes only.

Can your students cope with their workload?
Keep in mind that your students take more than just your class. Remember, reasonable amount of pages required for the term paper will mean that you understand your students’ workload.

How well do you know your audience?
Become a market researcher. Prepare a simple survey and ask your students what they liked about the assignment and what they disliked, did they have enough information to complete it etc. You will get a clue of what your listeners are looking for and they will know that you care. This practice usually increases the students’ respect to the teacher. If they see that you are trying they will try also.

The list can go on. I have exposed to your judgment some of the reasons that I am well aware. Now it is your turn to make a difference in your classroom.