Reducing plagiarism through effective teaching and learning strategies A workshop developed for...

Reducing plagiarism through effective teaching and learning

strategiesA workshop developed for

Bilkent University by Gordon Suddaby

Supporting academic integrity

Gordon Suddaby - [email protected]

OverviewIn recent years, plagiarism has become an

increasingly prominent issue in higher education and the three contributing factors are probably;

• growth in student numbers (and the related rise in the student/staff ratio)

• pressure on students’ time and balancing study with work to support their study

• availability of copyable material on the web.


So what is Plagiarism?“Plagiarism is a broad term that applies to many different

types of copying. This ranges from claiming authorship of an entire piece of work to misattribution or insufficient attribution of source papers. The latter is far more common: ‘content’ being made available to scholars and academics through the internet and the ease with which it can be cut and pasted without rewording has, at least in part, contributed to this specific problem. Coupled with this, the discipline of recording all web sources and correctly referencing them is not easily undertaken. Finally, the pressures on academics to publish research to secure funding for future work and career advancement, in other words the ‘publish or perish’ principle, has lead to a very small number of researchers taking short cuts in the past”.

Academic Plagiarism, by Rebecca Marsh, Head of Editorial, and Jenny Pickles, New Business Development Manager, at Emerald Group Publishing Limited


The following material draws on the following reference:

Carroll, J. (2007), 2nd edition, A Handbook for Deterring Plagiarism in Higher Education. Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes University


Why do students plagiarise?As a group identify the sort of reasons that

you believe motivate students to plagiarise


Why do students plagiarise?They have ‘learnt’ to plagiarise in schoolThey don’t know that its not allowedThey don’t understand the ‘rules’They find the work too hardThey are frightened of failureThey deliberately cheat


What contributes to plagiarism? “Academics make plagiarism more likely by: over assessment / bunched assessments not making requirements clear not distinguishing between collaboration and collusion not stressing (and rewarding with marks and high

grades) what is valued not changing the task or requirements of assessments setting tasks beyond the capabilities of the students setting ‘show you know’ rather than show you know

why’ or show you know how’ assignments setting an assignments to a group that has one solution

– so making copying easier”Accessed from:http://www.leeds.ac.uk/sddu/teachtalk/j_carroll.htm on 23rd December, 2009.


How can we deter plagiarism

Two options: Using technology - plagiarism detection

software such as TurnitinCourse redesign and assessment – through

a changed approach to teaching and assessment


Eliminate plagiarism by designBy changing assessments: Good practice recommendation:

rewrite/modify the assessment task each time the course is taught


Create individualised tasks

Good practice recommendation: Design in assessment tasks with multiple

solutions or set one that creates artefacts to capture individual effort.


Integrate assessment tasks

Good practice recommendation: Integrate tasks so each builds on the other;

design in checks that do not require teacher time but do require student effort. Be careful to only check, not assess the intermediate tasks. Set a variety of assessment tasks, choosing those less likely to already exist.


Inform students about;institutional policies and programme expectationsDefinitions of plagiarism, collusion and

misconductReinforcing understanding of definitions for

particular groupsDefining collusion and informing students

Good practice recommendations: Institutions should invest time and energy into

reaching consensus on defining breaches of academic regulations then disseminate them widely to academics and students.


Induction and/or apprenticeship;Good practice recommendation:

treat all instances of plagiarism formally with penalties and tariffs adjusted to fit student circumstances; inform students clearly of the policy, how they must comply and how they will be helped to do so (see section 10).


Teaching academic conventionsGood practice recommendation:

design in compulsory teaching sessions on academic writing and citation skills where students can apply the skills to discipline-specific content as part of their core assessment tasks.


Active learning methods to teach studentsGood practice recommendation:

ensure that students are taught how to avoid plagiarism with active learning techniques, providing opportunities for discussion, practice and feedback; this instruction works best integrated into discipline-specific contexts.


Creating a climate of student involvement and interestExplanations and justifications for

cheatingAcademic conduct as a model of good

practiceGood practice recommendation:

Academic staff need to be seen to be adhering to the behaviours they ask of their students and taking steps to defend them from abuse.


Secure systems for recording and returning courseworkGood practice recommendations:

create administrative and institutional systems to collect, record and return coursework securely.


Using assessment to check authenticityTo check the student’s work is

authentic, you might organise: a random viva of a percentage of the cohort an open-book test an in-class or supervised taskUse electronic detection tools - Turnitin


Other issuesStaff development and trainingThe effect of electronic detection on

academic decisions


POLICIES AND PROCEDURESUsing a separate procedure for disciplinary

issuesGood Practice Recommendation:-

clearly define the respective roles of the Examination Board and the Disciplinary Procedure in cases of plagiarism, and any interrelation between them; ensure that all parties are aware of and adhere to their respective limits.


Consistent and effective application of the procedures

Good Practice Recommendation:- give the responsibility for dealing with all cases

of plagiarism to a small number of staff in each subject area, who are properly trained and who will work as a team across the institution.

establish “fast-track” disciplinary procedures for dealing with minor and uncontested cases of plagiarism and clearly define the limits of their use.

a simple disciplinary record keeping system that will enable you to monitor which plagiarism problems are occurring where, and how effective different strategies and initiatives are in addressing these problems.


Implementing a co-ordinated strategy against plagiarisma clear commitment from the highest levels

of the University.a clear and appropriate regulatory

framework for defining and dealing with academic misconduct;

clearly defined roles and responsibilities access to support and specialist advicemeasures for embedding practice.targets and timetablesa procedure for reviewing progress


Reconsider learning outcomesGood practice recommendation:

reconsider the learning outcomes for the course and decrease those that ask for knowledge and understanding, substituting instead those that require analysis, evaluation and synthesis; consider adding information gathering to learning outcomes


Avoiding PlagiarismTen Top Tips from the University of Leeds

website that you as academics can give to students:

Accessed from:http://www.ldu.leeds.ac.uk/plagiarism/

teaching.php#usinglitOn 23 December, 2009


SEARCHING vs. RESEARCHING: Within your essays you are being asked to

analyse and interpret. Use references to support your argument and don’t just report or copy what you have found.


DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE & VOICE: This is an important part of what examiners

are looking for. You have to use your own words, not those of another author.


PRESSURE TO GET THE GRADES: Attending University is not just about gaining

the end result of a grade, but about gaining research and writing skills in the process. If you have any problems developing these skills, contact tutors (personal, programme director or module co-ordinator) and make use of other support systems available (handbooks, the Skills Centre, the International Centre).


PARAPHRASE, DON’T PLAGIARISE: A footnote is not sufficient to indicate that

any direct text you have used is not your own. Either put the sentences in quotation marks, or write them in your own words and include a footnote to the source.


NOTE-TAKING: When making notes from sources put direct

quotations in quotation marks and always keep track of sources. This will ensure you do not accidentally plagiarise and also make collating your references easier when you are writing your essays.


FACTS:Common knowledge does not need to be

cited but when in doubt reference your source.


CUT & PASTE:Either don’t get into the habit of cutting and

pasting from e-resources (the internet, electronic journals etc.) or put them directly into quotation marks and note the source.


DEADLINES: If you are having personal problems that

mean you will have difficulty meeting essay deadlines, go and speak to the relevant person who can help (your personal tutor and the programme director).


WEB REOURCES: Make use of the examples, glossary, quiz and

regulations on the LDU web pages.


HANDBOOKS: Look at the examples of paraphrasing, citing

cases etc. The information is there for you to access: USE IT!


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