THE COPY PASTE PROCLIVITY

UNEDITED SAMPLE EDITORIAL ARTICLE
By Zatia Denise Danao Gammad
IV-Madame Marie Curie


Isn’t school life a piece of cake when there is one source that could give every imaginable thing students need? From definitions to brief histories to book reviews, assignments and essays are just a click away. Indeed, the internet has lightened the usual heavy load of school work. It has immensely changed the word “write” to “find.” For instance, instead of “writing” an essay about a topic, students will just “find” one in the internet. The famous routine of search, read, copy and paste has been the habit of most students, especially those having the penchant for procrastination. The internet is one powerful source depended upon by students of all levels. No doubt that there is the proliferation of computer shops in the country if internet access is unavailable in their homes. However, it has instilled an unscrupulous act that provokes as school work gets tougher these days. Intellectual dishonesty, otherwise known as plagiarism, has been the worst impact of the internet. It has been a standard practice among students worldwide and submitting paper works has never been easier. However, do these students have the right to type their names at the bottom of the pages without crediting their sources? Does the copy-and-paste act play an advantage in students’ learning? A crammer has found his salvation. And sadly, salvation has been abused.

It is depressing to know that learning among students diminish in quality because of the shortcuts in research work. We all consider assignments and essays as integral parts of a student’s life. But through intelligent editing, students meld several online essays into one 'original' version. Some even get drawn to online essay auctions which are now earning tons of money. Rarely do we see students of this age thoroughly reading literary books just to have some sense in the theses or dissertations that they are preparing. Does this inclination serve as an escape in the tedious work that molds better persons out of students? Will it be the root of indolence in the country’s hope? Will it soon eradicate the students’ hunger for knowledge? Unfortunately, it is possible.

I believe that the copy-and-paste method is really the greatest temptation to fight off. Even in the library, students come for internet purposes and the books left in the dust-covered shelves would serve as others’ meals. No one would dare photocopy research materials when everything can be found at one webpage. Also, never had an author caught a student stealing his intellectual property in the internet, unlike the books which are copyrighted. And for sure, students nowadays know how to string together researches from various websites and claim it their own. Honestly, it is not that hard to change the color of the text, remove the hyperlinks, and change the words used in the paper work. Others even bedazzle their paper work with colorful borders and graphical front covers to set a fraudulent motivation of their perseverance. In this internet age, not a single bead of sweat can be noticed from the future governors, doctors, senators, and lawyers of the country.

We end up turning to the teachers who, hopefully, have a countermove on this sharpened trick that students always pull off. Not that they would have the five-page thesis handwritten but they should think of ways for students to turn away from the magnetizing pool of information brought by the internet. It will cause a dramatic change in the study habits of students if lessons are not dependent on the internet. After all, it is still the people who provide the abundance of facts. I just wish there would be a diversion in how students can excel without thinking about the monstrosity or hard work. And probably, later on, a mouse click would simply mean to open a site for reading purposes, like reading in the undisturbed corners of the library.