Parents buy computers for their children and give them access to the internet in their homes because they believe it will help their children with their schoolwork. However, in many cases the internet can have a negative effect on the child's academic development. Instead of using the internet to learn more, a student can use it to do her work for her, giving her more time to do more enjoyable things like flirt in chatrooms or surf for celebrity pictures.

Even students who don't plan on cheating and who plan to use the internet as a source of academic help might be tempted by the multitude of internet sites that encourage cheating. What students ultimately come to find is that they really don't have to work as hard anymore because there are people out there who make it their business to help.

The internet offers desperate students an easy way out because it makes it incredibly easy for students to cheat. For example, if a student procrastinated and did not complete a paper, she can simply search for one on the various sites that sell academic papers an hour before it is due and get away with it. The student may be aware that teachers could find out that what she handed in was not her work, so she could cheat in a less obvious manner.

If the student does not want to be caught cheating, she can simply look through other student papers for main themes or issues. Although the student is not directly copying from another, she is still taking another student's ideas and basically rewriting the paper as her own. Of course, using someone else's ideas can be done if one lists the work as a reference. However, teachers would frown at students using papers written for classes by other students, papers that have never been published. If one is going to bother doing research, shouldn't one seek works by experienced authors with more validity in the field of study? This is just like reading a classmate's essay and taking her ideas. If another student was able to come up with such ideas, then other students in the same level of study should be able to do the same without needing to consult other papers.

Using online academic paper stores is not the only way a student can use the internet for academic dishonesty. The internet also provides anonymous contact with other people who will be willing to help. In chat rooms one can find people with specific talents. For example, if I'm having trouble with my Spanish homework and I don't know anyone who knows the language, I can visit a chatroom with a focus on Spanish language and ask people questions. I might even find people who will "trade" assignments with me. I can do their English homework and they can do my Spanish. This outside collaboration is unfair to other students in the class who were not dishonest because teachers will set higher standards for them. They will be penalized when I receive a better grade because of dishonest collaboration. Ultimately this will hurt me because I will not be learning any of the material.

For Further Reading

Chidley, Joe. "Tales Out of School." Maclean's 24 Nov. 1997: 76.

Harris, Ian. "The National Grid for Cheating; The Other Side of the Desk." The Times Educational Supplement 8 Jan. 1999.

Hickman, John N. "Cybercheats." The New Republic 23 Mar. 1998: 15.

Kleiner, Carolyn, Mary Lord, and Lindsay Faber. "The Great Term-paper Buying Caper." U.S. News & World Report 127.20 (1999): 63.

Utley, Alison. "Tool To Catch Net Copycats." The Times Higher Education Supplement 17 Nov. 2000: 15.