2. Thou Shalt Not Interfere With Other People’s Computer Work.

3. Thou Shalt Not Snoop Around In Other People’s Computer Files.

4. Thou Shalt Not Use A Computer To Steal.

5. Thou Shalt Not Use A Computer To Bear False Witness.

6. Thou Shalt Not Copy Or Use Proprietary Software For Which You have Not Paid.

7. Thou Shalt Not Use Other People’s Computer Resources Without Authorization Or Proper Compensation.

8. Thou Shalt Not Appropriate Other People’s Intellectual Output.

9. Thou Shalt Think About The Social Consequences Of The Program You Are Writing Or The System You Are Designing.

10. Thou Shalt Always Use A Computer In Ways That Insure Consideration And Respect For Your Fellow Humans.

On a similar note, I think that the urge to plagiarize sometimes stems from a fear of failing or lack of confidence on the side of the student. Students may feel that they are incapable of conveying their thoughts as effectively as the writer of the article that they just read. 

Yet another possible reason for plagiarism is just plain laziness. Unfortunately, I think that there are cases of plagiarism where students may just be looking for the “easy way out” of an assignment.

Finally, I think that plagiarism commonly occurs among students unintentionally. It is possible that students are simply uninformed about what kinds of information need to be cited and how that citation should be included in their work. 

Another way to reduce the appropriation of other people’s work online is by emphasizing the consequences of plagiarism. I think many students fail to recognize that they are putting their reputation and academic career on the line when they steal the work of others. Once students perceive the cost of plagiarizing as too high; I believe they will shy away from that behavior. 

Finally, I think requiring students to practice writing more will eventually lead to lower rates of plagiarism. Although it may sound counterintuitive, I think that as student writers become more comfortable with writing and perfect their writing talent, completing written assignments will become more natural to them and eliminate their need to plagiarize.