Heather
Owings
SLM 521 (MD)
Fall 2003
Elective #7
Plagiarism
A Teacher's Guide
Why
do students cheat? The reasons are numerous: They just want to get the assignment
done, they are not interested in the topic, they fear their own skills are inadequate,
or they have procrastinated so long that they no longer have time to devote
to the job. It is our job as educators to not only discourage plagiarism, but
also to make copying or cheating as difficult as possible.
To
prevent plagiarism:
(1)
Discuss Plagiarism with Students
Be explicit in your definition of plagiarism, examples
of plagiarism, degrees of plagiarism (from faking citations to copying a whole
paper) and consequences of plagiarism. An excellent example of a professor's
expectations can be found at: http://www.chem.uky.edu/courses/common/plagiarism.html
or for a pamphlet example: http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/jan02/Cheating.pdf
For more information about the degrees of plagiarism, go to: http://newark.rutgers.edu/~ehrlich/plagiarism598.html
(2)
Citing the Source
Restrict the sources students can use by insisting on
more recent sources, this eliminates most online term papers because they have
sources that are 5 years old or older. Give specific limits like two print sources,
two Internet sources, and two journal sources. This will also make copying an
online paper more difficult. Or make students create an annotated bibliography
of sources. A great site for guidelines is: http://www.aresearchguide.com/11guide.html
(3)
Disburse Grades Throughout Research Process
Assign work to every step of the research process. For
example, in the beginning, students should fill out a research proposal worksheet
that lists the topic, why they chose it, where they expect to find information,
etc. Another possibility is for students to present a research plan, either
written or orally. This will help you gauge where they are in the research process,
as well as where they may need help. Lastly, an in-class reflection essay that
helps students explore what they have learned will not only help you see what
progress they have made, but also will give you a sample of their writing if
need be. For more strategies, check out: http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
(4)
Narrow the Topic
Require students to interpret, analyze, apply ideas or
personally reflect on the chosen topic. Also change topics from semester to
semester whenever possible. Both of these tactics will again limit chances of
finding an online paper match. Another device is to give the topic a unusual
spin. By choosing a topic with a unexpected twist, students will need to research
carefully in order to fulfill the topic requirements.
If
you suspect plagiarism:
(1)
Search the Internet Paper Mills
A complete list of paper mills is available at:
http://www.coastal.edu/library/mills2.htm
(2)
Use a Search Engine
Type exact phrases into an Advanced Search like: http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en
(3)
Check the Journal Source
A magazine index like EBSCO can be accessed through the
public library at: http://www.sailor.lib.md.us/cgi-bin/ebsco?DB=f5h
(You
will need your public library barcode)
(4)
Recreate the Research
Visit http://ipl.si.umich.edu/div/litcrit/
to validate sources using subject, author, or title
searches
(5)
Find Book Sources on Amazon.com
Amazon.com have now added complete texts to their web
site. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/10197021/ref=amb_center-3_30436/103-2655258-4163836
(6) Employ a Plagiarism Detector
To utilize Plagiarism.com you must sign up for the service.
There is a fee, but you might feel it worth the investment. http://www.plagiarism.com/
More
Resources: