How ironic that this is an issue in an ethics class

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Our first essay (the final copy) in our ethics class is due two weeks from today. What the professor had us do was bring 2 hard copies to class last week, one goes to him, the other you trade with someone else to edit it, and bring back to class next week.

Well the person's i took home, her wording wasn't easy to understand, so typed in a string of words at a search engine to see if i could clarify a few things, and the first result got it word for word at a website (another site popped up a result as an "essay for sale"). When i clicked on the link and compared, apparently this person has plagiarized their WHOLE essay word for word and signed it as their own (the persons "works cited", which i checked throughly as we were told to, does not contain anything other than some magazine articles).

Now, it's likely that the professor didn't just fall off the turnip truck, and might do some checking of his own and discover this (since we have an honor code, and rules spelled out for this sort of thing), but now i'm kinda stuck on what to do. I don't feel right looking over this like i'm not aware that this isn't original work, yet it doesn't seem like it's my place to be a whistleblower.

But yet in the nursing world, if you know something wrong is going on and you don't say anything, you're just as guilty. :stone

Any suggestions?

Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiac, ICU.
I went ahead and edited it, since we get a grade for our essay from him, and we get a grade based on how we did with editing someone else's. I wrote a lot of remarks related to "clarification" of point, "wordy", things like that. I also mentions how hard it was to understand what was being said. SEVERAL words in it were words i'd never even heard of, let alone knew what they meant.

See, that what you wrote just now about not knowing what several of the words meaning explains things. Now I do see as a reason to look up the words and now I see why it lead to what you found.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I just didn't see why you'd ever think to google anyone's paper w/o any prior suspicions.

To be perfectly honest, I was thinking to myself, why would someone automatically assume someone was cheating because I didn't see a logical reason to start the search. :monkeydance:

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

The girl wasn't in class tonight. I turned in the copy i'd graded, nothing unusual happened.

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Specializes in ICU/PCU/Infusion.

hmm. wonder if she wasn't in class tonight because the instructor had already confronted her?

has she missed before?

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Not sure if she's missed before or not.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

Glad you told on him/her. If they'll do that in school, no telling what they'll do in practice!

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Specializes in ER.

I agree with the others you have to turn the person in. If you cheat to get through nursing school what will you do when you are out there caring for patients. I had something similar happen when I was in CNA class. In the state I live you have to be a CNA to be accepted in nursing school. We took an exam and then the instructor passed out the completed exams for us to correct one of our classmates. The instructor left the room for a moment and two of the students were talking to everyone and asking what individuals put for certain answers. What I realized was that when they got the answers they would change their answers, so in the end they got a better grade. I turned them in and they were asked to leave the program for cheating. The instructor asked why I turned them in and my response was if they have to cheat to become CNA's and they then go on to nursing school they could be potential dangers to their patients. It is a hard thing to turn in a classmate but it is the right thing to do.

My yougest son was cited for plagarism for not correctly citing a paper when he was a senior in H.S. I know the paper was his own, however because his citings were not in correct APA format they English teacher and the principal stated it was considered plagarism. To add to this, I am currently taking a Research and REporting class for my BSN in which we are writing a major research paper. This week we reviewed two rough drafts of fellow students and one of the students did the same thing my son did and the instructor who has a Master's in English stated if this were her final draft she could be sited for plagarism.

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Would the average person doing that editing, find the plagerism? I mean why would she take the chance? It seems to me that it would not normally be found unless looking for it. I vote to let the professor find it and if he doesn't, then he isn't really concerned about plagerism. Turning her in would ruin her entire career. Maybe this was a one time thing or maybe not...Damn it's like your between a rock and a hard place

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Would the average person doing that editing, find the plagerism? I mean why would she take the chance? It seems to me that it would not normally be found unless looking for it. I vote to let the professor find it and if he doesn't, then he isn't really concerned about plagerism. Turning her in would ruin her entire career. Maybe this was a one time thing or maybe not...Damn it's like your between a rock and a hard place

I beg to differ. Cheating is what ruined her, not getting caught.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC,Oncology,Orthopedics,Psych.

Marie_LPN ... you did the right thing by letting the professor know. It shows you have strong ethics. Is that not what the class is about? If the prof would have later found out about the plagerism, he/she could have questioned you if you had found any hint of plagerism. He/she knows you by now, and would have figured out that you just would not make comments on the paper without researching the phrase you did not understand.

In our classes we learn many different kinds of lessons. I believe you were given a choice in YOUR ethics. You demonstrated sound judgement and followed through appropriately. Keep it up!!:yeah:

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Would the average person doing that editing, find the plagerism? I mean why would she take the chance? It seems to me that it would not normally be found unless looking for it. I vote to let the professor find it and if he doesn't, then he isn't really concerned about plagerism. Turning her in would ruin her entire career. Maybe this was a one time thing or maybe not...Damn it's like your between a rock and a hard place

Already said i was not deliberately looking to see if she cheated, i was looking up words that were in the essay. Despite what a few ppl are thinking, this wasn't a witch hunt.

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MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. DON'T BE A SNITCH. LET THE PROFESSOR FIND OUT ON HIS /HER OWN. REMEMBER, WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND. NURSING SCHOOL IS A GAME. YOU PLAY TO WIN, EVEN IF YOU CHEAT A LITTLE.:nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono:

The OP stated that her school has an honor code that requires her to act as she did.

You may consider nursing school a game, but I assure you the profession of nursing is not. Every profession has ethics, for good reason.......innocent people are harmed when those standards are violated by the lazy, the incompetent, or the cheaters.

If your post accurately represents your thinking, then I sincerely hope you flunk out or get thrown out before you ever touch a patient.

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Specializes in Telemetry & Obs.
MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. DON'T BE A SNITCH. LET THE PROFESSOR FIND OUT ON HIS /HER OWN. REMEMBER, WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND. NURSING SCHOOL IS A GAME. YOU PLAY TO WIN, EVEN IF YOU CHEAT A LITTLE.:nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono: :nono:

Do I smell the distinctive aroma of...dare I say it?? Troll??

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