Internet Plagiarism

 

 

    With the wide variety and easy accessibility of information on the Internet it is not a surprise that instances of Internet plagiarism and cheating is on the rise. In a recent survey done by Rutgers University found that over fifty percent of the participants had copied information from the internet and had turned it in within a written assignment (Current 1).  There are a wide variety of ways students can use the Internet to plagiarize.  Below is a list of ways students use the Internet to plagiarize and then a list of remedies and websites you can use to combat plagiarism.

 

Ways Students Plagiarize

 

  1. Plagiarism can be as simple as failing to site a source quoted or paraphrased in a paper. A quotation is the use of another person words verbatim.  A paraphrase is the use of another person’s ideas, but stated in your own words. If it is a direct quote, it must be in quotations and the source sited.  Students may also quote and site a source but then continue quoting from the source after the quotation marks have been closed.  If it is a paraphrasing of another’s words, more then just a few words need to be changed.  If not, the source must be sited.
  2. Students may also copy and paste information directly from a website.  With a few clicks of a mouse, a student can have an entire paper.  Students may copy and paste from many websites.  When reading the paper, look for changes in writing style, tone and grammar.  If these change a lot, it may indicate plagiarism.
  3. With the advent of social networking sites like Facebook or My Space it is much easier for students to stay in touch.  Because of this, students may get a copy of a paper from a friend or family member who has already taken your class.  Then they turn it in as their own.
  4. Students can now buy complete papers from many Internet sites.  They are available with full citations.  Look for papers that are above your student’s ability or that are not completely on subject.

 

Ways to Combat Plagiarism

 

  1. On the first day of class state your expectations and give your students a clear definition of plagiarism and what constitutes as plagiarism.  Some students may not know exactly what plagiarism is.  Give them examples of appropriate citations and inappropriate citations.  You may even have a class discussion about plagiarism.  They maybe less likely to choose plagiarism f they feel like they have a say.
  2. Make penalties clear.  You may even print them on the syllabus.  This way they know that your are aware and what will happen if they still choose to plagiarize.
  3. Give assignments well in advance.  This will give students plenty of time to research and make them less likely to resort to plagiarism.
  4. Establish checkpoints.  Over the course of a class, have dates when portions of the paper are due.  For example, one week the students must have their topic chosen, week two they need to have three sources, week three they turn in their outline ect…  Again, they will have to do the work little by little and will have less chance to plagiarize. Also, having them choose a specific topic will limit their ability to find a paper online.
  5. Require different types of sources, suck as Internet, encyclopedia and books.
  6. Rotate the topics of the papers every few years.  Also, keep a copy of all turned in assignments on file for a few years.  This will keep students from sharing assignments and will give you a reference if you suspect sharing.
  7. If you are suspicious of a citation or quote type a portion of it into a search engine.  It may come up as plagiarized.
  8. Use the Internet! There are sites such as http://www.canexus.com that will check essays for plagiarism.  There is also a site called http://www.turnitin.com in which you can have students turn paper in online and it will scan it for any evidence of plagiarism.

 

Eye on cheaters: schools look for ways to combat cheating epidemic (Current Events, Jan. 9, 2004) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EPF/is_15_103/ai_112354637