ABSTRACT
Our epigraphs, from a Web site that sells plagiarism-detecting services and from the EdmontonJournal, a Canadian newspaper, illustrate contemporary discourse on plagiarism. That discourse is far from sparse; newspapers, magazines, and journals around the world are turning out articles and stories on plagiarism at high volume-as a quick Internet search or a Google news alert will reveal. Plagiarism is repeatedly described as an "epidemic"; a June 2004 BBC story was even titled '''Epidemic' of Student Cheating?" An academic conference paper pre-- sented in that same month attributes students' plagiarism to "disorganization," "information
overload," "ethical lapses," "laziness," "ignorance," "fear," "cryptomnesia," and "thrill seek.. ing" (Beasley 5-9)-all good reasons for teachers' revulsion and even terror.
