Detecting Plagiarism

Plagiarist steals ideas

If they can find it... so can you!

The Internet makes it easy to steal. Just copy and paste and you're done right? Unfortunately some students take this attitude.

The Internet also makes it easy to detect web based plagiarism. Try copying an off voice phrase into a search engine. Do you find a match out there on the net? Often an Internet search with an unusual phrase is enough to find evidence of plagiarism.

If you have the funds and need a more in-depth detection service try Turnitin.com. This system is specifically designed to uncover plagiarism by comparing student work to an ever growing database of information. (Be forewarned that all student work is added to that database when it is submitted for a check.) Many schools are now using these types of services. However these kinds of tools are becoming controversial. (See Andy Calvin's column below.)

IMSA MultiMedia Materials

Interactive MicroModule Companion: Plagiarism I in 21st Century Information Fluency Portal Project, [Online Learning Game]. :Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy:  20 August 2002 [cited 10 March 2007].  Available from Internet: <http://21cif.imsa.edu/rkitp/challenge/v1n8/plagiarism.swf>.

Interactive MicroModule Companion: Plagiarism II in 21st Century Information Fluency Portal Project, [Online Learning Game]. : Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy:  20 August 2002 [cited 10 March 2007].  Available from Internet: <http://21cif.imsa.edu/rkitp/challenge/v1n8/plagiarism2.swf>.

  • newThese are two new new online games designed to apply the knowledge and techniques presented in our online Micromodule: Plagiarism.

 

IMSA Video Tutorials:

 

Annotated Resources:

Calvin, Andy. PBS Teachers | Learning.Now. The Politics of Plagiarism Detection Services [blog] September 22, 2006 [cited 17 March 2007] Available from Internet: <http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2006/09/the_ethics_of_plagiarism_detec.html>

  • Does the use of Turnitin.com make a presumption of guilt? When student papers are uploaded and kept in a private commercial database does it violate rights of privacy and Intellectual property? These questions are being raised in high schools and universities around the country. Andy Calvin's blog post provides details of an argument that has been brewing for some time and may be boiling over into lawsuits in the near future.

Sharka, Jane. Plagiarism Stoppers: A Teacher's Guide. [website]. Naperville (IL): Naperville Community Unit School District 203, 3 November 2003- [cited 8 June 2004 ]. Available from Internet: < http://www.ncusd203.org/central/html/where/plagiarism_stoppers.html >.

  • This page provides plagiarism detection tips as well as information about free and fee-based detection services, prevention training, and paper mills. The links are well annotated and useful for students and teachers alike. This site was compiled by Jane Sharka, the Librarian at Naperville Central High School in Naperville Illinois.

Online Plagiarism Checkers:

 

Consider the pros and cons of using a plagiarism checking system:

Pros:

  • Students are less likely to plagiarize when they know technology can check their papers.

  • It is a convenient way quickly to check material against a large database of Internet sources.

  • Provides authoritative evidence for the assertion that work has been plagiarized.

  • If provided to students as an editing tool for self-assessment, empowers the writing process.

Cons:

  • Commercial plagiarism software costs money.

  • No system is fool proof. Checking systems can't check every source.

  • Original student work winds up in a private company's database.

    • This can be seen as placing intellectual property and student privacy at risk.

  • Plagiarism systems highlight correctly cited passages as well as 'suspected' passages.

 


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