The site says assignments that are given every year and "force the student to lose sleep" do not add to a student's education.

But Ceraso said professors try to set up assignments to prevent plagiarism. He said professors are "savvy enough" about Web plagiarism to "prevent it beforehand."

Ceraso said most professors initiate a proposal, followed by a first draft, followed by a final draft to ensure the final product from students is their own work.

"Plagiarism is usually a last-minute coping mechanism," he said.

If a student is accused of cheating, there is a lengthy process that follows.

Barbara Copland, associate director of Judicial Affairs, said every case varies.

In the beginning stages, "it's up to the students and the professor," Copland said. The next steps are handled separately by each of the colleges. If a student contests the accusation, the case will go to an academic committee, which will decide whether the student is responsible.

The professor usually recommends the punishment, which can range from failing the paper or the course, to receiving a grade of XF, which denotes cheating, or failing the course with an F.

In the worst-case scenario, a student could be expelled. The only way this could happen is if the professor or integrity committee recommends it. Copland said this usually doesn't happen.

Some students said the educational consequences are worse than the punishment.

"I trust myself more," Lauren Domanico (freshman-education) said. "It's for my grade in the end, so I want it to be what I wrote."

Mike Rowland (sophomore-finance) said students who do not complete their own work now will only pay for it in the future.

"I never would do that," he said. "You're only cheating yourself."

Ceraso said that when a student plagiarizes, the university's intent is not to punish but to uphold academic integrity.

"Plagiarism policies are put into effect to protect students who don't plagiarize, to protect the integrity of their work," he said.