Students should read these posts. Another suggestion is to have students pick a newsgroup and read two to three weeks of messages to find out what is and what is not acceptable. E-mail has unique characteristics that also are commonly used in newsgroup posts. These change the meaning of the textual messages. If the reader is not aware of the meaning, misinterpretation may occur.
Instructors can never be fully aware of the research practices of their students.
They should, however, try to make sure the students are using legal, ethical, and proper research methods. The Internet has taken on an ever-increasing role in conducting research. By getting students started right, many embarrassments may be avoided.