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  Student-recommended Methods For Confronting or Reporting A Cheater 
and  Why You Should Consider Using Them.

"Many students and faculty do not realize how important it is to take action when they have knowledge of cheating or plagiarism. According to Kibler, Nuss, Paterson, and Pavela (1988) some students are dishonest because they think that no one cares or notices and that they can get away with it. Once dishonest students realize that most students do not approve of or condone dishonesty, they are more likely to rethink their actions. They may also be aware that even if they are not officially caught and punished, others either know about or are suspicious of their behavior. They are "caught" in a different sense because they have tarnished their character and reputation. Fellow students are less likely to respect them. Faculty are less likely to give them the benefit of the doubt in other matters or support them by writing letters of recommendation.

It is also important, particularly to faculty, to formally report cheating be in a timely manner. Kibler, et al.  point out that the tendency of faculty members to handle cheating informally has a number of unfortunate consequences: (a) campus-wide statistics on the frequency of cheating will not be accurate, (b) the true incidence of students caught cheating will be less apparent to other students, and (c) faculty who follow official campus procedures are more likely to avoid personal lawsuits.

• One option you have when you see or know of a student being dishonest is to directly confront the person. This can be a very difficult and nerve racking thing to do. What you must remember is that you are the person who is right, the student who is being dishonest is the one who is wrong and needs to know that others notice and disapprove.
• Another option is to report the cheater to the professor. This is a somewhat easier route for those of us who are more non-confrontational to take.
• If you are not sure about the dishonesty of a student, you can always go to the professor and simply inform him or her of your suspicion. After that, the ball is in the professor’s hands, and trust me many will be grateful for the information. It is also helpful if you make it known to the professor that you are willing to testify against the cheating student.

Students can also have an impact on other students outside of the classroom. I'm sure that at some point in your college career you have been a party to a discussion that involved someone's triumph in cheating. In this situation you can make it known that you do not condone  their cheating behavior. Make them aware of the fact that they are cheating both themselves and their fellow students. You have an opportunity to EDUCATE them. Perhaps if students and professors were more open to discussing cheating it might be lessened."  Danielle Brown-Garcia, B.A. Psychology, 1997

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