Guy on my course plagerised

LegacyUser

I'm in the final year of a creative course in college. We finish in the next few weeks. A few days a go I managed to come across a course catalogue from a university in England about 5 years ago, and one of the projects in it was almost identical to the second year project of a guy on the course. It's so distinctive and similar that it couldn't possibly be a coincidence. It's plagarism no doubt. I remember this guys project really well, and there are about 20 aspects which are identical between the two projects.

Which puts me in a tricky situation. Am I morally obliged to report this? Obviously ripping off somebody else's work is cheating, and I know plagarism is really looked down upon.

On the other hand, it really doesn't affect me, I'm doing well with my own work, and if I report it (which I'd probably do anonymously), this guy would be thrown off the course a few weeks before graduation, and I'd probably ruin any career chances he had. He's not a bad guy.

So any advice on what I should do?

Forest Master

Eh, definitely report him. He is a "bad" guy, because he's taken you & everyone else on the course for a mug - you put in hard work - he cheats - yet you still get the same qualification, and he'll likely get a higher grade because of it too.

fghijkl

I'm in the final year of a creative course in college.

I guess it very much depends what you define as creative?
As someone from a creative college backround, people can and have the same ideas, it was often i or one of my class mates would come up with the same concept, or come up with a concept or project or idea and with a quick google find it's already been done to death.

There's a school of thought that there are in fact no original ideas anymore, they are all just modifications or adjustments of existing ideas.

t's so distinctive and similar that it couldn't possibly be a coincidence. It's plagarism no doubt.

How can you be sure or prove it's plagarism? If it's copied word for word fair enough, but when it comes to creative stuff, it's very hard to prove that someone has copied an idea..they may have just simply happened to have the same idea.

So any advice on what I should do?

You have no real proof he's actually copied anyone's work, it doesn't affect you, why would you even consider ruining this guys career on a possibility he did in fact plagarise? You could be wrong.

It's not going to affect your future, or have any bearing on your own career prospects.But the damage you could do to him? I'd leave it be tbh, say nothing. If he has plagarised he'll be found out soon enough when he gets a job/interview and has to show his skills.

Forest Master

fghijkl wrote: »

It's not going to affect your future, or have any bearing on your own career prospects.But the damage you could do to him? I'd leave it be tbh, say nothing. If he has plagarised he'll be found out soon enough when he gets a job/interview and has to show his skills.

Surely if he reports it to the college, they will look into it first & compare both documents and make their own decision before anyone actually gets formally "accused"?
Just because he reports it, doesn't mean the guy will automatically get kicked out of college, FFS. He's making them aware of a situation that THEY can choose to follow up.

There's a school of thought that there are in fact no original ideas anymore, they are all just modifications or adjustments of existing ideas.

Pretty close-minded school of thought, IMO. They said that 100 years ago too - before cars, computers, space travel, TV, internet, etc, etc, etc. I guess we should all just give up, eh!? No cure for cancer already? Let's not bother - if we haven't thought of it already, we'll never come up with it now! :rolleyes:

Is the OP referring to you by any chance? You seem very adamant that the cheat should be allowed to get away with it.

Keep in mind that reporting him will have ZERO negative ramifications unless he's guilty.

fghijkl

Pretty close-minded school of thought, IMO. They said that 100 years ago too - before cars, computers, space travel, TV, internet, etc, etc, etc. I guess we should all just give up, eh!? No cure for cancer already? Let's not bother - if we haven't thought of it already, we'll never come up with it now!

**sigh**:rolleyes:

Did i mention science or technology? nope i didn't.

Did you even read the first part of my post?
I meant new ideas in relation to creativity. Art, expression etc.
I didn't say no new ideas = no progression.
It is a school of thought that all ideas are an improvement or adjustment of a previous idea but are based upon an already existing idea and therefore are not "new" in that sense. How you jumped to the conclusion that means no progression i don't understand. But if you want to apply the theory to science: If you take your example of cancer, it's entirely possible a cure will be found through using and adapting already existing theories/knowledge/drugs.

I didn't even say i agreed with the theory.

Is the OP referring to you by any chance? You seem very adamant that the cheat should be allowed to get away with it.

Yes of course he is :rolleyes: even though i finished college about 5 years at this stage....Maybe i just have a huge chip on my shoulder eh? grow up ffs.

Keep in mind that reporting him will have ZERO negative ramifications unless he's guilty.

Not strictly true.
The OP said he's in a creative course, as someone who has also done a creative course it is quite different than a more academic course.The creative industry is very very small in this country and this kind of stuff can follow you around, he may not be found guilty but lecturers know future contacts, people talk, one of the most damaging things to a persons future career is a perceived lack of creative ability and any doubt could hurt this guys future tbh.

I did say in the first line of my first post - It depends on what type of creative field the OP is talking about, but my opinion is based on someone who has studied/worked in a creative field, i'm just giving a perspective from personal experience, it's just an opinion, i don't claim it's the right or wrong opinion, your hostility towards my opinion is a bit sad tbh. Heaven forbid everyone should think the same way....

LegacyUser

Am I morally obliged to report this?

To answer your question, No imo I don't think you are morally obliged to report this guy. I just don't see how it is a moral issue for you. If the guy has cheated it is a moral issue for himself about whether to come clean or not, it is not really a moral issue for you.
If I was ever in the situation where I was contemplating reporting someone for plagiarism/cheating, I would think it would be because I was just pissed off by it being unfair that they got a good mark by cheating whilst I did a lot of hard work for my mark, it would be simply because I was very pissed off and felt hard done by, and I couldn't pretend or lie to myself that it was because of some other great moral obligation.
I don't know if I could go through with it. I'd be more of the mind, that if he has to cheat then he is going to get found out eventually in whatever job he ends up in. If he doesn't have the creative skills required himself, then he won't be kept for too long in whichever job he does get. It shouldn't really affect you, as you have proven to yourself that you are capable of doing the work without cheating, and you should therefore have the confidence and skills needed to succeed in your chosen career path.
Report him if you want, if you're feeling bitter and pissed off (which would be normal to feel), but there's no need to say that it is because of morals that you are doing it.

tenchi-fan

discover hastands wrote: »

Which puts me in a tricky situation. Am I morally obliged to report this?

You're not morally obliged to report it.

I think you should consider this guy's character. Is he usually honest? Could the "plagiarism" have been unintentional? Is he a well respected class member or the slacker who had the rest of the team carry him?

Personally, I probably wouldn't report it. It could be considered a spiteful thing to do.

unknown13

I wouldn't report it yet. The college authorities should be able to find out the project was plagarised.

If they dont pick up that it was plagarised by all means report it.

IrishEyes19

I wouldnt report it for a few reasons.

Firstly as you said it has nothing to do with you, keep your head down studying and enjoy the next few weeks you have left of college instead of reporting some fellow student.
and I dont agree with one of the posters on his theory about the guy getting a higher grade than you. You will get the grade you deserve, if your final papers are of good quality, regardless of what everyone elses get, you are marked as one person. So thats riddiculous.

Furthermore, the project itself could be under investigation. Im sure some lecturer would have to have noticed it. I know from writing my own thesis, my supervisors knew what projects had been written in the past, so much to the extent that he would advise us to view them in the library to get a sense of how to structure and format our final work, and where we should be going. I doubt it if they hadnt noticed it already. It could even be under investigation, and already sorted within the college, He may have already been punished, and he'd hardly tell you or anyone if he had been. Some colleges dont expell for plagurisim, a lot do, but some often have different measures. take this into account. If you are wrong, you could destroy this guys reputation and even if he's proven innocent, word spreads.

dominiquecruz

I don't see why you're bothered. If the guy cant come up with an original idea of his own, how far do you think he'll get in the real world with his degree? Just focus on yourself and getting the best results you can. His mistakes will bite him in the ass one day.

jimmycrackcorm

Let the course tutor decide if it is plagiarized or not. It has been noted by industry already in the press that our third level degrees are being devalued and this is another example. By not reporting this OP you are actually de-basing the value of your own work.

dominiquecruz

dominiquecruz wrote: »

how far do you think he'll get in the real world with his degree?

Potentially quite far. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in Germany only this year reached some of the top tiers of German government before his college plagarism was discovered and he was cast out of government with much of his career in tatters.

Best to be reported now, be discovered now, than later when the effect of discovery will be greater. I said much the same thing on another post about reporting tax fraud too. If you report someone now and they are forced to pay back what they strole from us and the government... this will be much better for them than being discovered 10 years later when their pay back bill will be crippilingly greater.

On top of all that... the more people who can not do their own work that are given degrees anyway because they are allowed get away with cheating and plagarism... the less worth those degrees have to those who hold them and actually deserve them. Cheaters are not just about the cheater, they are about the value of the system to the rest of us who actually deserve the paper saying we are qualified.

I am a friend

dominiquecruz wrote: »

I don't see why you're bothered. If the guy cant come up with an original idea of his own, how far do you think he'll get in the real world with his degree? Just focus on yourself and getting the best results you can. His mistakes will bite him in the ass one day.

SeriOusly??? WTF?

I do think you should bring the project to the attention Of the college - if you are right, then what hE is doing is effectively stealing.

People in this country are gone so liberal it's ridiculous. This is just another example of the masses agreeing with the 'laissez faire' attitude which is crippling this country. I see this guy the same as the welfare cheats, lads doing the nixers and not paying tax etc etc.

We have to stop the scamming and this is a perfect example of how people in general are too uninterested to do the right thing. Rant over - tell them!!

johnboysligo

Personally I would report your concerns to the college. End of the day if he passes his course and becomes just as qualified as you by way of cheating it makes your qualifications worthless and brings the prestige of your college down a notch as well.
Show the college the source material you believe he copied from and they will decide if he cheated or not.

The flip side of this is the chance he did not intentionally copy anyone's work and put just as much effort ( or more ) into his project as you did.
You may very well be morally obligated to bring your concerns to the college, check if there is a code of conduct with your college that may help you understand your responsibility if any.

MitchKoobski

Leave it up to the college to figure it out I'd say.

irishdude11

Forest Master wrote: »

Eh, definitely report him. He is a "bad" guy, because he's taken you & everyone else on the course for a mug - you put in hard work - he cheats - yet you still get the same qualification, and he'll likely get a higher grade because of it too.

Exactly, definitely report him.

And while your at it make sure you report your friends/family to the guards next time they go over the speed limit while you're in the car with them.

And also make sure you report them when they illegaly download mp3s, films and games off the net.

And TV licenses too, make sure you report friends/family who dont pay their TV licenses.

I goes without saying that all the people advising the OP to report this guy would not hesitate to report family/friends for this stuff.

boarddotie

Am I mistaken OP or did you mean that the project he plagiarised was back in 2nd year and you are both now in 4th year? if yes, I wouldnt be bothered reporting it. What good will it do at this stage? All those marks will have been allocated and are probably only a small portion of his overall degree score.

When I was in 4th year one of my classmates copied a big chunk of my friends final year thesis. Totally blatant, he didnt even change the fonts. Nothing was done about it other than him getting a lower grade which is a punishment but nothing like what we thought would happen.

You would be morally obiligied to report it if he was falsifying scientific or medical results in a journal article. Some sort of creative project shouldnt get you all worried!

Ellie2008

I had an ex boyfriend help me with a college essay, it was due in I was writing it at 2am ish and I couldnt stay awake I was wrecked and he took over and wrote some of it for me and it ended up being the majority of the essay. We also wrote one more essay together but that was more even handed.

I felt so guilty about it that I five years later told my boss and rang me old college lecturer both of whom didnt really care, I worked out something like 1/28th of my degree but the guilt still haunts me.

Maybe if you reported him you d do him a favour and he wouldnt end up an emotional wreck like me!

Ickle Magoo

irishdude11, I see you are new to this site. I would advise that you take the time to read the [URL=" http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056181484"]forum rules[/URL] in the charter.

All, please keep replies on topic and helpful to the OP and be aware that off-topic and unhelpful posting can earn you a ban from this forum.

Fentdog84

Personally I wouldnt report him for that as tempting as it is, id just get on with my own work and try to get a high grade as possible. Often lecturers know all these tricks and if this is published work he is copying, there is a good chance he may get caught out anyway. However, how about confronting him yourself? Say i know you cheated. It would give him a shock and at least he wont think that he's got away with it completely.

zxcvbnm1

I am seriously surprised so many people are suggesting to report him.
Why?
What difference does it make to you OP? Wil lit effect your grade? No.

It's just pure spite to report him in my book.

You are basically jealous that he is getting a good grade without having to put in the effort you did.

My suggestion would be get on with your own life.
His cheating doesn't effect you at all - nor should you let it.

asdf1234

Snitchez get stichez

If you read the thread zxcvbnm1 people have given very real reasons how it affects the OP and none of them have anything to do with Spite.

Allowing cheaters to get through as if qualified devalues the course itself as industry reaslises that a certain course is churning out unqualified people with letters after their name. Every person that qualfies a degree or masters without justification devalues that course for all those that hold the same qualification.

Industry is not stupid. It learns to recognise which courses and colleges the quality people are graduating from... and the value of those courses will go up or down in realation to that knowledge.

Maple

asdf1234 wrote: »

Snitchez get stichez

Unhelpful posting is against the charter.

Please familiarise yourself with it before posting again.

Maple.

RandolphEsq

Send an anonymous email to the lecturer with your findings

Forest Master

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I am seriously surprised so many people are suggesting to report him.
Why?
What difference does it make to you OP? Wil lit effect your grade? No.

It's just pure spite to report him in my book.

You are basically jealous that he is getting a good grade without having to put in the effort you did.

My suggestion would be get on with your own life.
His cheating doesn't effect you at all - nor should you let it.

It's unbelievable how naive people are ITT. The cheating does affect the OP.
Let's say, as an example, 50% of the people on his course cheat - and they get a better grade than him. At least 2 significant things will happen in this scenario...
Firstly, after they all graduate, the people with the better grades are statistically more likely to get jobs ahead of the people who didn't cheat.
Secondly, if the cheaters who get the jobs can't perform up to the standard that the employer had expected, then it devalues the qualification for everyone who has it, because employers think that people with it are sub-standard.

Why can't anyone see this? Now, I used 50% as an example - but if you think 1 person cheating is acceptable, then is 2 okay? Then what about 5 people cheating? You still cool with that? How about 20? What's the cut off? Either it's okay for everyone to cheat (and completely devalue the college & qualification), or it's not okay at all - you can't have a grey area. When these cheatres hit teh workforce with the same qualification as you, but they can't actually do the work, it does affect you.

I personally don't care, but I damn sure would if it was my qualification getting devalued.

fghijkl

@Forest Master

Your points are all valid in cases where people have cheated, but i think you're missing the point, they are only valid if the guy in question has cheated. The OP has no real proof that the guy has, only a belief that in his opinion the projects were very similar, and as i have said already in a creative course it's really not as clear cut as other courses. If the OP had said the guy in question had copied entire chunks of a thesis i'd absolutely agree with you but it really really isn't unusual for students to come up with concept or project which has already been done before unknown to them.

Tarring this guys future with doubt on the off chance he has cheated is incredibly unfair on the guy in question if he is innocent.

This happened in 2nd year, the OP is now in the final year of his course, why is it only bothering him now?

tbh

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Send an anonymous email to the lecturer with your findings

I understand the motives for this advice, but I think if you're going to do it, be open about it. If it's bugging you that much, I think you should confront the guy openly and tell him what you've found and see what he says. If you're not prepared to do that, then don't report it. FWIW, I wouldn't report it.