Plagiarism: Preventing It, Detecting It

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Plagiarism Preventing It, Detecting It
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The Problem Plagiarism is Easy (especially
online)

• What students do
•   Quoting sans the marks
• Paraphrasing minus the citation
• Paper mills

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Some Strategies for Preventing and Detecting
Plagiarism

• Educating the Students (and ourselves)
•   Defining plagiarism and proper citation
• http//info.wlu.ca/wwwwc/handouts/sources.htm
•   Explain reasons for citing properly
•   Model and demonstrate citation when possible
•   Clarify benefits of doing assignments
  themselves

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Paper Mills

•   Familiarize yourself with how students cheat
  and the kinds of assignments available to
  students online                                 
                                  I.     
  http//www.collegetermpapers.com/
•                                                   
                                 II.     
  http//www.OPPapers.com
•                                                   
                                   III.     
  http//www.netessays.net

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Some Strategies for Prevention

• Avoid using the same essay questions year after
  year.
• Contextualize the paper or assignment on a recent
  event on which there isnt yet much material
  available (Culwin Lancaster, 2001).
• Use essay topics integrating theory with examples
  from personal experience, such as a field trip,
  personal reflections or class discussion
  (Carroll, 2000).
• Avoid assignments that ask for collection and
  description of information opt for analysis or
  evaluation instead.

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More Preventative Measures

• Stage writing assignments with drafts,
  outlines or low-stakes writings.
• Include oral presentations on essays based on
  their papers.
• Ask students for sources photocopies of
  references (Culwin and Lancaster, 2001) or call
  numbers of paper sources used (AUTC website).
• Draw on students creativity or imagination.
• Refuse to grade improperly cited papers.
• Assign failing grades on blatant offenses.

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Googling It

•   Plug offending phrases into a search engine
• http//www.google.com

• Example from a paper connecting Cartesian notion
  of self to Antigone How does an individual
  maintain identity and still become an active and
  responsible member of the community? The
  mythology of self is primarily in the cult of
  individualism and often begins as paradox,
  articulating the meaning of freedom within a
  world of political and cultural, in essence,
  social restraints.

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Plagiarism Software

•   Use (free) plagiarism detection software
  turnitin.com will no longer be available at
  LaGuardia
•                                                   
                                      I.     
  http//www.plagiserve.com
•                                                   
                                   II.     
  http//www.integriguard.com

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References

• 1.      Carroll, J. (November, 2000). Plagiarism
  Is there a virtual solution? Teaching News.
  November. http//www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsd/2
  _learntch/plagiarism.html
•   Culwin, F. Lancaster, T. (2001). Plagiarism,
  Prevention, Deterrence Detection. Institute for
  Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, South
  Bank University, U.K. http//www.ilt.ac.uk/resourc
  es/Culwin-Lancaster.htm
• 3.     Assessing Learning in Australian
  Universities 36 Strategies to Minimize
  Plagiarism, http//www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessi
  nglearning/ppt/36Strategies.ppt