Being Proactive About Plagiarism

How to Prevent, Detect, and Deal with It

By Dr. Ellen Millsaps and Prof. Emaly Conerly, Carson-Newman College

What do these have in common?

Three Harvard professors Two nationally acclaimed historians A former Presidential contender A reporter for the New York Times A reporter for USA TODAY The senior pastor of one of Charlotte, NC’s,

best known churches The President of Saint Louis University

According to a 2003 study, 38 percent of students admitted to cut-and-paste Internet plagiarism (Rutgers University/Center for Academic Integrity Study, August 2003).

80 percent of college-bound students admit to cheating on schoolwork, yet 95 percent of them never get caught (Who’s Who Among American High School Students).

90 percent of students believe cheaters are either never caught or have never been appropriately disciplined (US News and World Report poll).

257 chief student affairs officers believe that colleges and universities have not addressed the cheating problem adequately (“Administrator Perceptions of Student Academic Dishonesty in Collegiate Institutions,” a study by Ronald M. Aaron and Robert T. Georgia)

Source: “Latest Facts.” Turn It In. 1998-2004. 6 Oct. 2004. http://www.turnitin.com/static/products_services/latest_facts/html

The Causes of Plagiarism

1. Fear of failure due to inadequate writing skills.

2. Poor time-management and planning skills.

3. Viewing a course and/or assignment unrelated to a major as unimportant.

4. The pressure to maintain a high GPA—for athletics, scholarships, loans, etc.

5. Too many demands of school, work, and family.

6. Lack of knowledge about what plagiarism is in all its forms.

7. Self-defense since others in the class who cheat create unfair competition.

8. The failure of instructors and institutions to report cheating and enforce proper penalties.

Preventing Plagiarism

I. Defining Plagiarism and Its Consequences

Talk about what plagiarism is and isn’t.

Make students aware of the institutional response to plagiarism.

Mention far-reaching consequences of plagiarism.

Carson-Newman’s Statement on Academic DishonestyAcademic dishonesty may include, but is not limited to, the

following: giving or receiving aid on tests; plagiarizing papers, assignments, book reviews; removing and/or copying test questions from office files. Incidents of suspected dishonesty will be addressed by the course instructor/professor with the department chair and/or the division dean. After hearing the student and considering all the evidence, sanctions will be assessed if guilt is determined. Academic dishonesty may result in sanctions including, but not limited to, an F and loss of credit for the course, and upon a recurrence or gross dishonesty, expulsion from the college. Any finding of academic dishonesty, and the sanction applies or recommended, shall be reported to the Provost who shall assess any sanction more severe than loss of credit for the course. A student may appeal a finding and/or a sanction assessed to the Provost. Otherwise, no appeal shall be allowed. (2005-2006 C-N College Catalog)

Preventing Plagiarism (cont.) II. Clarifying Assignment Details

Specify parameters of assignment. Discuss benefits of using and citing

sources. Specify the required components of

the paper. Defeat “paper mill” essays by specific

requirements. Show models of appropriate use of

sources.

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 1 William Ellis asserts that world problems such as

poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition (23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 1 William Ellis asserts that world problems such as

poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition (23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 2 (APA) Ellis (2002) asserts that world problems such as

poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the “current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition” (p. 23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 2 (APA) Ellis (2002) asserts that world problems such as

poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the “current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition” (p. 23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 3 (MLA) Global tensions and inequities can be solved if people

begin to help one another on a grass-roots basis, moving beyond the current world order of economic competition (Ellis 23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 3 (MLA) Global tensions and inequities can be solved if people

begin to help one another on a grass-roots basis, moving beyond the current world order of economic competition (Ellis 23).

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 4 Economic competition is at the basis of many of the

world’s problems. Only by seeing ourselves as a single human family without the separation of national boundaries can world tensions begin to be eased.

Original source World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and

hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities. (page 23)

Example 4 corrected Economic competition is at the basis of many of the

world’s problems. Only by seeing ourselves as a single human family without the separation of national boundaries can world tensions begin to be eased (Ellis 23).

Preventing Plagiarism (cont.)

III. Focusing on the Process of Writing Do intermediate steps leading to full

research paper. Give due dates for different steps. Provide teacher and/or peer

feedback. Do “low-stakes,” reflective writing. Require all drafts with final paper.

Require photocopies of cited references with final paper.

Have students sign and attach honesty statement to their paper.

After submitting the final paper, ask students to do reflective, in-class essay.

Sources: Bates, Peggy, and Margaret Fain. “Cheating 101: Easy Steps to Combating Plagiarism.” www.coastal.edu/library/pubs/easystep.html

Harris, Robert. “Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers.” www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm

Keefe, Carolyn. “Avoiding and Coping with Plagiarism.” Pre-Conference Forum on Writing Research Papers at the 2002 ACA Tech Summit

Methods of Detecting Plagiarism in Student Papers

1. Writing Style: Different in grammar, tone, and

vocabulary from student’s usual style of writing.

Has a mix of very scholarly paragraphs or sections combined with simpler styles of writing.

Uses a mixture of English and American phrases or word spellings.

2.Content: Contains material that is not on the

topic of the paper. Treats dated material by referencing

past events as if current. Contains references to charts or

diagrams that are not in the paper.

3. Formatting: Has unusual margins, spacing

changes, various page numbers, etc. Has a web address on the top or at

the end of the paper (URL for a paper mill site)

Has unusual text or headings at the beginning or end of the paper

Has obviously been printed from a student’s web browser.

4. Citations: Have quotes in the paper that do not have

citations Contain a mixture of citation styles such as

MLA, APA, etc. Have citations that can not be verified or

web sites that are no longer active Have citations for material that is 5 years

or older

Verifying Plagiarism in Student Papers

1. Search commercial databases provided by your college library.

2. Search the Internet:• Use search engines such as Google,

Northern Lights, HotBot, Infoseek, etc.• Use exact phrase searching (4 to 6 words)

for a suspicious phrase that you find in the paper.

• Use several keywords that match the content of the paper.

3. Use a commercial or online plagiarism detector such as Turnitin.com.

Turnitin.com : Checks submitted papers against 3 databases: current and archived copies of Internet pages, including internet paper mills and cheat sites; millions of published works from commercial databases such as Proquest, ABI/Inform, Periodical Abstracts and electronic books; and millions of student papers already submitted to Turnitin.com.

Example of a Turnitin.com Originality Report

4. Web sites that list some detection tools/services:

a. VAIL:

http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/vail/faculty/detection_tools/choosing_online.html

b. Center for Intellectual Property:

http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/links_plagiarism.html

c. A sample of these services: Edutie.com PlagiServe.com Integriguard Turnitin.com Jplag Glatt Plagiarism Self-Detection Program CopyCatch

Useful Internet Sites for Further Information on Plagiarism:

Harris, Robert. “Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers”http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm

Standler, Ronald B. “Plagiarism in Colleges in USA”http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm

Thinking and Talking about Plagiarismhttp://bedfordstmartins.com/technotes/techtiparchive/ttip102401.htm

OWL Online Writing Lab: Avoiding Plagiarismhttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html

Defining and Avoiding Plagiarismhttp://wpacouncil.org/node/9

World Wide Web Research Toolshttp://www.virtualsalt.com/search.htm

VAIL: Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory. Faculty and Administrator Resources. “Guides”http://www-apps.umuc.edu/forums/pageshow.php?forumid=2

Center for Intellectual Property. “Plagiarism”http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/links_plagiarism.html

Cheating 101: Paper Mills and You

http://www.coastal.edu/library/

presentations/papermil.html

Sources:Bates, Peggy and Margaret Fain. Cheating 101: Detecting

Plagiarized Papers. (Rev., 2003) Retrieved Oct. 6, 2004 from http://www.coastal.edu/library/pubs/plagiarz.html

Harris, Robert. Anti-plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers. (7 March 2002). Retrieved Oct. 6, 2004 from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm