Even when files are available, they may not have been updated in months or years, making them useless. When a deadline is getting close, it can be very tempting to download such an item and present it as one's own. Well, growing numbers of teachers are aware of these sites, and working hard to discourage use of them. But for the foreseeable future, online plagiarism will be a nagging problem. A recent news story reported that corporate employees spend as much as 50 hours a year playing games on their computers, or surfing the Web, instead of doing the jobs they're paid for.
Students face similar distractions.
You can download a government report for your term paper, or a cool new game. And once you have the game, it may take a long time to master it. In this sense, the Web is like a library scattered around an amusement park, providing more distraction than information. Many students may lack the self-discipline to resist such temptations. Self-discipline has turned out to be a problem for many students even when they avoid the games and random surfing.