Graphic from Library Online Basic Orientation @ NC State

What is it?

Plagiarism occurs when our students use the words and ideas of other people as their own. Even if the student makes a few changes or moves sentences around, they are still plagiarizing if they use another person’s work. If a student quotes someone without a citation, that is also plagiarism.

Why do students cheat?

Students may cheat for several reasons. Sometimes, students cheat because it is a quick and easy way to complete an assignment. In addition, they have so many things to do that they put assignments off and run out of time to complete them. Furthermore, many students do not feel their writing skills are good enough. They may be afraid that they will get a bad grade if they write the paper on their own. Lastly, some students just like to break rules. They may enjoy being sneaky and wonder if they will get caught.

How do students plagiarize?

Plagiarism may occur in several forms. Students may download research papers from the Internet or get them from a friend or older sibling. They may purchase papers from companies that sell these documents to students. They may copy articles or information from the Web or directly from texts. Also, they may not quote text incorrectly or may create fake sources in their citations.

What can you do as a teacher to prevent plagiarism in your classroom?

There are many things that you can do to discourage plagiarism in your classroom. First, assign papers will in advance of the due date and try to avoid assigning more than one lengthy assignment at once. Make your expectations clear and describe the format of the required bibliography. Also, require personal reflection within the assignment. Second, make the assignments interesting and motivating to the students. Third, if you “structure your research assignment so that intermediate parts of it (topic, early research, prospectus, outline, draft, bibliography, final draft) are due at regular intervals, students will be less likely to get in a time-pressure panic and look for an expedient shortcut. (Harris)” Fourth, help your students will their papers in any way that you can. Offer time in class for writing so you can assist those that may be struggling with the writing aspect of the assignment. Fifth, talk to your students about plagiarism. Explain what it is, how to reference something correctly, and why it is wrong. Let them know that you are have ways of checking to see if something is plagiarized. Also, clearly explain the punishment for plagiarizing in your classroom or school whether it be an automatic failing grade or suspension.

How can you detect if a child has plagiarized?

Look for indicators such as lack of references or quotations, use of difficult vocabulary, and unusual formatting or flow of the paper. Become familiar with some of the websites that students may download text from, such as online paper mills or databases. Search for the paper online. Visit a search engine such as Google and enter a phrase that you are suspicious about. You can also use plagiarism detectors or software. Some good sites to use are listed below, but many require a subscription to use the service. Also, be prepared to question the student without accusing them of plagiarism directly.

Websites to visit to learn more about plagiarism

Sites that sell papers and documents:

· "Internet Paper Mills" at http://www.coastal.edu/library/mills2.htm

· No Cheaters.com at http://www.nocheaters.com/

· School Sucks at http://www.schoolsucks.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2

· Other People’s Papers at http://www.oppapers.com/

· Research Papers Online at http://www.ezwrite.com/

Plagiarism detectors:

· Plagiarism.org at http://www.plagiarism.org/

· Plagiarism.com at http://www.plagiarism.com

· WordCHECK KeyWORD Software at http://www.wordchecksystems.com/

· The Plagiarism Resource Site at http://www.plagiarism.phys.virginia.edu/

My Sources

Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources." VirtualSalt. 17 Nov. 1997.  Date visited: April
 25, 2003. http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
 
Leland, Bruce. “Plagiarism and the Web.” Date visited: April 25, 2003. 
 http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfbhl/wiu/plagiarism.htm
 

Writing Tutorial Services. “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.” Indiana

University. Date visited: April 25, 2003. http://www.indiana.edu/%7Ewts/wts/plagiarism.html

In regards to the example in the course module

The example text from the SLM 521 “Plagiarism” module was plagiarized from Park Net’s Battlefield Information page and can be found at http://www.nps.gov/anti/battle.htm.