Plagiarism

Pirates (My daughter and friend dressed as pirates)

Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

From time to time, various classes in the course I am taking at Walden University require me to write blog entries as a way to demonstrate my ability to apply what I am learning to a practical issue. In my current class,” Online Instructional Strategies,” I have been asked to write about plagiarism detection and prevention.

As I considered the issue of plagiarism for this post, I reviewed the Walden University Student Handbook’s (2010) section on academic honesty. It defines plagiarism as the “use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source.” (“Student handbook”, p. 244) The following descriptions were quoted from the handbook verbatim:

• Wholesale copying of passages from works of others into an assignment, paper, or discussion board posting, or thesis or dissertation without acknowledgment
• Using the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment
• Paraphrasing another person’s characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor, or other literary device without acknowledgment (“Student handbook”, 2010, p. 244)

The handbook adds a section on the use of one’s own previous work. The rationale for prohibiting the use of one’s own previous work is the need to insure that students are continuously building upon previous learning. As previous topics are reviewed in successive courses, it is natural that short references to previous work will be appropriate, but the University expects those references to be documented according to APA guidelines, as any other reference would be documented, and substantial use of previous work requires prior approval of the instructor of the course.

One of the perils facing online instruction is a perception that plagiarism is a greater problem for online students than for traditional classroom students, however actual levels of plagiarism appear to be similar for both modes of instruction (Palloff & Pratt). Rates of plagiarism have been difficult to quantify, due to lack of a standard method of detection. (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006)

Plagiarism detection software has recently become a popular tool to quantify incidents of plagiarism and to restore academic integrity for students and institutions. Boettcher and Conrad (2010) list three websites that provide plagiarism detection for use by students and teachers:

• http://plagiarism.com/self.detect.htm
• http://turnitin.com/static/index.php
• http://www.grammarly.com/ (Formerly EssayRater)(Boettcher & Conrad, 2010, pp. 73, 74)

Another way to combat plagiarism is with the use of assessment methods that rely on application of learning rather than parroting of information. When students must apply what they have learned, the benefit of cheating is eliminated. Students want credit for their own work, and tend to have no motive for presenting the work of others as their own. (Palloff & Pratt)

Personally, I’m concerned that automated detection software can be too easily circumvented by resourceful, but lazy students. I’m tempted to illustrate what I mean by suggesting a few simple ways alterations of text could be automated using existing online tools, but it may be best to withhold those specific ideas. Any automated security software can be thwarted by other software. Encouraging students to “test” their own work for inadvertent plagiarism risks educating students about how to circumvent automated plagiarism detection. (Kaner & Fiedler, 2008)

I don’t find fault with instructors using software like TurnitIn as a tool to flag possible plagiarism, but software solutions are not perfect, and should be used with caution. I do not believe students have any need to use it at all. Software can return false positives when students use long phrases that are specific to a discipline. Automated methods exist which can reword direct quotations to prevent plagiarism software from recognizing them. Perhaps a more suitable method for detecting plagiarism might be to design software that recognizes patterns of grammar, and can flag documents that employ a patchwork of writing styles.

As a student, I have never been concerned about accidental plagiarism. In high school, I was taught to use index cards for research, writing a bibliographic heading on each card, and a paraphrase of the material I wanted to use. Having done my undergraduate work in the pre-computer era, I used the same system for research papers in college. I have always been proud of my ability to paraphrase and digest material, and I have long appreciated the usefulness of paraphrasing as a means to construct and verify my own understanding of the material I am studying. In fact, I frequently paraphrase and digest lectures as part of my note-taking process.

I still use this method in my research today. Although computer text files have replaced note cards for the most part, I still use note cards when I take lecture notes. I also rarely cut and paste anything. My writing process begins with an outline of assignment requirements. I write my own ideas about each assignment objective, and then I go back and find the citations that support what I have written. Sometimes I elaborate on what I have written by copying a section of material I had previously paraphrased. The result of my writing process is prose that I am confident is 100% original. Consequently, I have never bothered with anti-plagiarism tools to look for inadvertent plagiarism. I do not believe my method could allow plagiarism to happen.

However, there is one aspect of Walden’s definition of plagiarism that does concern me. While I don’t believe I have ever quoted myself verbatim, I often use the same words to express my ideas when I express those ideas again later. When I write about a topic I have written about before, I go back to that prior work to find citations. My writing is generally completed before I look for citations, and it is written in a style appropriate to the current context.

References:

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). Phase one: Tips for course beginnings. In The online teaching survival guide (pp. 73, 74). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

(2010). Code of conduct. In Student handbook (p. 244). Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Retrieved from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=23&navoid=2589

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by Adult Learners Online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open amp; Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=21656952&S=R&D=ehh&EbscoContent=dGJyMNLe80Seprc4yOvsOLCmr0meqK9Sr6m4TbGWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGss0q1qK5IuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

Kaner, C., & Fiedler, R.L. (2008). A Cautionary note on checking software engineering papers for Plagiarism. IEEE Transactions on Education, 51(2), 184-188. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4455465&isnumber=4512114&tag=1

Palloff, R., and Pratt, K. (n.d.). Plagiarism and cheating [Video file]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com