Graduate Schools Have the Right To Know
One of the most difficult aspects of the decision to charge a student formally with plagiarism is that the charge remains on his/her record for seven years and thus may put him/her at a disadvantage when applying to graduate school. We often think to ourselves, “Am I going to ruin their chances for graduate school because they made one error of judgment?” But think about it from the perspective of the graduate program considering their admission. If you were on that committee -- deciding from among many qualified applicants who to accept and who to provide with financial support -- wouldn't you want to know that this student had a record of plagiarism? If you decide not to file the charge, is it fair to the next applicant in line who doesn't make the cut? Is it fair to the graduate program that invests in a student who may continue to plagiarize? Plagiarism among graduate students is an increasingly recognized problem. Addressing that problem begins at the undergraduate level.
