Copyright affects the work a student does and the work that a student uses to complete papers and assignments.
Not everyone knows that they may already own several copyrights. These might be for poems, photos, essays, webpages, or even papers or projects that they've created for class. As soon as an original work you've created is fixed in a tangible form (printed, drawn, painted, put up on the web, etc.) it is copyrighted unless you've given those rights or sold them to someone else.
It's important to remember that just as we own the copyright on our original creative works, those which have been published, posted, printed, etc. by others may not be freely available for us to use, copy, or present without getting or buying permission for our use from the copyright holder.
