How to teach students why fake quotes are bad?
I teach English at a large community college, and this semester fake quotes are in vogue. (Previously fake Works Cited entries were more common.)
I specified multiple times that essays with fake quotes or other evidence of academic dishonesty can't earn credit. But I'm seeing more fake quotes than ever even though my research essay was so scaffolded it was too easy for college-level.
What's amazing me is how students are upset and sometimes angry with me, in spite of how I said work with fake quotes (and other forms of academic dishonesty) will earn no credit.
They're pretty clearly using AI, as I've seen people say in this subreddit, but how the hell are professors getting it across to their students that faking information is serious? I'm so open to any suggestions.
I can deal with failing dishonest students, but they're filling up my inbox with justifications, lies, protestations that they worked really hard and a few false quotes shouldn't fail the essay. I'm feeling seriously stressed about it.
Edited to add paragraphs and fix a typo (I'm tired).