Combating Plagiarism: Plan, Educate, Confront, Persevere.
Ignoring or winking at cheating and plagiarism perpetuates the problem. The first step is to develop an institutional policy about intellectual property, copyright, fair use, and plagiarism. Consider instituting an honor code. Clearly state the consequences for plagiarism and follow through when plagiarism occurs.
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Train students in the issues. Be sure students know how to paraphrase, and cite sources across all curriculum areas. You may hear that “Everybody does it!” but that isn't true. However plagiarism is a significant problem: “According to a 2003 study by Donald McCabe, 38 percent of students admitted to cut-and-paste Internet plagiarism in the previous year. (Rutgers University/Center for Academic Integrity Study, August 2003)” Source: Turnitin.com |
Use electronic measures to detect Internet based plagiarism. Searching phrases with search engines is a good first step. Also consider subscribing to a more comprehensive detection system. Once subscribed, follow through with instructor and student training. Let students know their work will be electronically scanned for plagiarism. In addition to instructor use, consider training students to use these tools as editorial aides as they write their papers.
Make the fight against plagiarism a persistent element of your school's culture. Fight the good fight!
Authored by Lora K. Kaisler & Dennis O'Connor 2003