Bogle Academic CenterUniversity of Arkansas

Nancy Romig

Tutoring to Promote Better Writing and Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism & Collusion Plagiarism- “is the intentional or accidental uncredited use of source

material created by others” (“Chicago Manual”) For the U of A, plagiarism:

“occurs both when the words of another (in print, electronic, or any other medium) are reproduced without acknowledgement and when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased in such a way as to lead the reader to believe that they originated with the writer. It is not sufficient to provide a citation if the words of another have been reproduced – this also requires quotation marks” (“Sanction Rubric”).

Plagiarism is included in the university’s policy on academic dishonesty which is:

“any act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for him/herself or another by misrepresenting his/her or another’s work or by interfering with the independent completion, submission, or evaluation of academic work” (“Academic Integrity”)

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php

Collusion- “a secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose” (“Collusion”)

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/246.php

Forms Plagiarism• Copying and pasting• No quotation marks or in-

text citations used• Poor use of citations• Poor paraphrasing• Turning in another

student’s work• Using ideas (e.g. symbols,

themes, etc.) from an online source (e.g. Cliffs Notes, Wikipedia, Spark Notes)

• Craigslist• Self-plagiarism

CollusionProofreadingÜber brainstormingDoing the work for the student (e.g. writing, creating charts, etc.)

What You Need to Tell Your Student Safe Assign and/or his or her professor will catch the

assignment if it has been plagiarized.

If you have collaborate on an assignment (collusion—you’ve proofread the student’s paper) and the professor takes issue with that, you will both be reviewed by the department’s Academic Integrity Monitor and/or the university’s Academic Integrity Board.

The U of A holds the individual student responsible and expects each student to be knowledge about and familiar with all of the policies on academic honesty. For the university, there are no excuses for not knowing what is expected of you in regards to completing your work in an ethical, honest way.

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php

Procedures and Consequences If a student is caught plagiarizing, the professor submits the

assignment in question with a report to the department’s or college’s Academic Integrity Monitor(AIM).

The AIM conducts the initial review of the assignment and meets with the student individually.

After reviewing the assignment and meeting with the student, if the AIM finds an infraction of the academic honest policy, the student is usually assigned a zero for the assignment, but can also be suspended or expelled.

Sanctions can be contested, but will be brought before the All-University Academic Integrity Board (AUAIB).

The Athletic department and the NCAA adhere to the policies and rulings of the university, so if there is an infraction, consequences will not stop with the Integrity Board. Both the tutor and the student athlete will be under review.

How You Can Avoid Collusion and Help Your Student Avoid

PlagiarizingDuring the Pre-Drafting Stage:

Make sure the student has done the reading/class work needed to complete the assignment.

Go through the assignment sheet with the student to make sure the student knows exactly what his or her professor’s expectations and instructions are.

Ask them to do/work with them on an outline for the paper whether or not it is required for the assignment.

During the Drafting Stage: Send the student to work in the computer lab or a study

room to actually compose the paper. Require that the student print out copies of his or her draft

to bring to the appointment so you can talk about his or her work. Doing this will eliminate the tutor/computer issue.

Once the paper is drafted: Review the paper for quotation marks and in-text citations

(MLA/APA style). Check the vocabulary of the paper (plagiarism and

paraphrasing). Does it sound like your student? Ask direct questions about the content. If you suspect an assignment has been plagiarized, talk to

one of the advisors. Remember that ultimately it is the student’s responsibility

to not plagiarize and to know when they are.

How to Have a Successful Tutoring Appointment that Involves Writing

Pre-drafting:Make sure the student has read the assignment.Make sure that you and the student are familiar with the professor’s instructions and expectations.Help the student brainstorm and outline.

Drafting:Encourage the student to work on the paper in segments (one paragraph at a time).Read through drafts of the paragraphs to be sure the instructions for the assignment are being met.

Revision: Think in global or big picture terms. Focus on the content of the

discussion. Has the student answered the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of the subject. If not, elaboration is needed.

Has the student adhered to the professor’s instructions? (i.e. If the assignment is for an argumentative essay, is there an argument?)

Check the thesis statement. Does it fit the assignment? If not, it might need to revised. If it is missing entirely, the student needs to add one.

Check for the organization and flow of the paper. Have transitions been used?

Grammar

Ask the student to print or bring one or two copies of their draft. Think about reading the paper out loud to the student.

Works Cited

“Academic Integrity at the University of Arkansas.” University of Arkansas. Univ.of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Collusion.” Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica Company, 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Sanction Rubric.” University of Arkansas. Univ.of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.