Plagiarism: Detection and Prevention

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Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

• Dr. Heather MacIvor,
• Political Science

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Outline

1. My plagiarism policy.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a detailed
   written policy.
3. Preventing plagiarism.
4. Detecting plagiarism.
5. Conclusion.

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My Plagiarism Policy

• By-law 31.
• Proper citation of evidence.
• Paraphrases vs. quotations.
• Penalties.
• Avoiding unintentional plagiarism.

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Outline

1. My plagiarism policy.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a detailed
   written policy.
3. Preventing plagiarism.
4. Detecting plagiarism.
5. Conclusion.

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Advantages

• Provides clear dos and donts for students.
• Sets predictable penalties for noncompliance.
• Saves time in grading papers (See p. 6 of
  Plagiarism).
• Deters frivolous grade appeals.

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Disadvantages

• Once the penalties are defined and disseminated,
  they must be applied.
• The document intimidates some students.

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Results

• Since I wrote this document in Winter 2006, the
  incidence of plagiarism in my courses has fallen
  sharply.
• In Fall 2005, 20 of the 80 papers in one course
  were partly plagiarized.
• This semester, in the same course, the figure is
  2/83.

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Secrets of My Success (1)

1. I include an explicit instruction to follow the
   rules in the Plagiarism document on every page
   of a take-home exam, and in every list of term
   paper topics.

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Secrets of My Success (2)

1. I repeat that instruction at the start of every
   lecture, to reinforce the importance of using
   evidence properly.
2. Plagiarism is an integral part of every course.

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Outline

1. My plagiarism policy.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a detailed
   written policy.
3. Preventing plagiarism.
4. Detecting plagiarism.
5. Conclusion.

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Preventing Plagiarism (1)

1. Assign precise, clearly defined questions based
   on a pre-set list of sources. This deters
   students from buying a ready-made paper off the
   Web or recycling someone elses test answers.
2. Change your paper topics and test questions every
   semester.

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Preventing Plagiarism (2)

1. Prohibit the use of Internet sources.
2. Familiarize yourself with the available research
   materials, and let the students know that you
   will spot stolen passages.

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Outline

1. My plagiarism policy.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a detailed
   written policy.
3. Preventing plagiarism.
4. Detecting plagiarism.
5. Conclusion.

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Detecting Plagiarism

1. Look for things that are out of place.
2. Keep an eye out for familiar phrases.
3. Verify the citations in papers and take-homes.

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One Of These Things Doesnt Belong

• A different font.
• A well-written passage in an otherwise
  poorly-written paper.
• Ideas and language which are too advanced for
  that particular student.
• Facts or ideas which cannot be found in the
  required sources.

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Déja Vu All Over Again

• Dont reward students for regurgitating your
  lectures.
• Dont turn a blind eye to verbatim, uncited
  passages from other sources.
• If you dont know the exact source, use Google to
  find it.

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Trust, But Verify

• Some students fabricate citations because they
  run out of time.
• Others do it to conceal their lazy use of the
  professors work, by attributing lecture notes to
  assigned readings.
• Still others do it to hide their theft from
  Websites or other verboten sources.

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Outline

1. My plagiarism policy.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of a detailed
   written policy.
3. Preventing plagiarism.
4. Detecting plagiarism.
5. Conclusion.

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Conclusion

• Detecting and reporting plagiarism is
  time-consuming and stressful.
• Dont let that deter you from fulfilling your
  obligations under Bylaw 31!
• Every instructor has a duty to protect the
  reputation of this University and the value of
  our degrees.