Argument essay - issue 1

In recent years, plagiarism has been more commonly found, especially in those of university students. The situations and causes of plagiarism can be varied. For example, Alan Brown explains that a reason for unintentional plagiarism is the “source amnesia”. Elizabeth Redden, the author of “Cheating Across Culture”, emphasized that the international students plagiarism are mainly caused from cultural diversity by presenting the news that 34 Duke University students got penalties because of cheating. And Stanley Fish, in “Plagiarism Is Not a Big Moral Deal” believes that people plagiarize due to the unconsciousness of the game’s rule. In the article “11 Reactions to the Harvard Cheating Scandal”, Susan Blum considers that under the competitive circumstance, students would choose an easier way to complete the task. In fact, plagiarism is a common issue in academic fields. In my opinion, except for those intentional and profitable plagiarism, the main reason is different definitions of plagiarism and cultural difference. In China, my teachers hardly pay attention on plagiarism, besides, Chinese don’t usually use APA lists or carefully cite the sources. At the same time, the number of international students are keeping increasing, so plagiarism should be valued as important issue.