PLAGIARISM PREVENTION AND DETECTION

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PLAGIARISM PREVENTION AND DETECTION

• Susan Hurst
• Business Librarian

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WHAT IS PLAGIARISM??

• To put forth as original to oneself the ideas or
  words of another. American Heritage Dictionary
• With proper attribution, to quote anothers
  thoughts and words is appropriate plagiarism,
  however, is cheating Kenneth G. Wilson
• If you steal from one author, its plagiarism
  if you steal from many, its research. Wilson
  Mizner

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SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

• Thirty-six percent of the sample admitted to
  having plagiarized material, while only 3
  admitted to have been caught plagiarizing.
  (Roig, 1997)
• Another study found 75 percent of students
  admitted to some kind of cheating, either on a
  test or in written assignments. (Burnett, 2002)

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UNINTENTIONAL PLAGARISM

• Didnt know it was wrong.
• Thought if it was already on the Internet, it was
  OK to copy (i.e. public domain).
• Not sure how to properly cite materials.
• Felt they were paraphrasing.
• Cant remember or find the source.

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INTENTIONAL PLAGIARISM

• Pressure from deadlines, grades, ambition.
• Why reinvent the wheel?
• Everyone else does it.
• Dont think theyll get caught.
• Easy to do.

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WAYS TO PLAGIARIZE

• Use a paper from someone who took the class
  previously.
• Buy or copy a paper online http//www.coastal.edu/
  library/presentations/mills2.html
• Full-text databases
• Online journals newspapers
• Internet web-pages

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EXAMPLES OF PLAGIARISM

• Quoting directly with no quotation marks.
• Paraphrasing without giving credit to the
  original source.
• Use of a graph, image, or chart without crediting
  the source.
• Inclusion of a statistic or fact that isnt
  common knowledge.

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CITING SOURCES

• Why cite sources? http//www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/
  integrity/pages/acknowledge.html
• Guidelines for Citing Sources http//sja.ucdavis.e
  du/avoid.htmguidelines
• Online Style Guides - Miamilink
• Online Reference Shelf - Citation Guides
• Plagiarism Quiz http//education.indiana.edu/7Efr
  ick/plagiarism/item1.html

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WAYS TO PREVENT PLAGIARISM

• Unique assignments paper topics
• New assignments each semester
• Teach research methods and citation styles
• Discuss plagiarism penalties in class
• Have students turn in drafts of work, or
  bibliographies before the assignment is due.

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THIS MIGHT BE PLAGIARISM IF.

• The paper is too good or seems similar to
  something youve read before.
• It includes esoteric or specialized vocabulary.
• The writing style seems markedly different than
  previous work or varies within the paper.
• It includes citation styles or footnotes not
  typically used (e. g. legal bluebook style
  footnotes).
• Also look for grayed out text, web addresses at
  the top or bottom of the pages, references to
  images etc. that are not there, all old
  references.

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WAYS TO DETECT PLAGIARISM

• Be familiar with your students writing styles
  abilities.
• Look closely at the papers, including the
  bibliographies.
• Use Google or other search engines to search for
  suspicious phrases.
• Check online databases including Academic Search
  Premiere, JSTOR, Lexis-Nexis. These are linked
  from the Library Home Page http//www.lib.muohio.e
  du/

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PLAGIARISM DETECTION SITES

• http//www.turnitin.com
• Online service that checks students work against
  previously submitted papers, term-paper sites,
  web pages and full-text databases.
• Prices range from 120 annually for 1 instructor
  to 950 for a department up to 9,380 for the
  entire university. Currently, Miami does not
  subscribe.
• Instructors can submit individual problem
  papers or require all students to submit their
  work. The latter can also serve as a deterrent.

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PENALTIES FOR PLAGIARISM

• Official Response 2003/04 Student Handbook Part
  V. Academic Misconduct
• Other possibilities
• Speak with the student, see what they say.
• Discuss the situation with the department chair.
• Penalties can include failing the project, or
  failing the class. Second and third offenses can
  result in suspension dismissal from the
  university.

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FURTHER RESOURCES

• Resources on Miamilink
• http//rocket.lib.muohio.edu/instruction/infolit/s
  ubj.php?categoryPlagiarism
• Resources from Turnitin.com
• http//turnitin.com/research_site/e_home.html
• Contact Susan Hurst, Business Librarian
  529-4144 hurstsj_at_muohio.edu