Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the passing off of another person's work as one's own. The key is that a person is claiming credit for writing done by someone else. Accidental plagiarism is usually the result of poor citation or referencing or of poor preparation or a misunderstanding of plagiarism. Deliberate plagiarism is an attempt to claim another person's work as one's own, usually by removing tell-tale evidence so the plagiarism is hard to spot. ~Wikipedia
The amount of information available on the internet enables people to easily copy and paste text and provides a challenge to instructors and others when trying to spot plagiarism. One way to check for plagiarism is to type a suspect phrase or document into a search engine. There are also popular anti-plagiarism applications available, such as Turnitin and Safe Assignment, which allow users to submit documents for checking.
It's important, however, to realize that anti-plagiarism software can only check against items that are available in a digitized format. For example, if a student copies from a textbook that is not posted on the internet in a digital format (legally or illegally), it will not be spotted. Instructors should continue to employ plagiarism-detecting techniques that they have always used in conjunction with anti-plagiarism software.
Resources:
- Academic dishonesty, plagiarism included, in the digital age: A literature review
This literature review by Zorana Ercegovac and John V. Richardson Jr. explores the prevalence of plagiarism in schools, colleges, and society and discusses what is being done to prevent and reduce plagiarism. (2004) - Plagiarism and Academic Integrity Learning Objects
University of Maryland University College's collection of video, audio, and multimedia learning objects that illustrate issues related to academic integrity - Plagiarism in colleges in USA
This website by Ronald B. Standler discusses laws and court cases related to plagiarism in colleges. It examines possible consequences and looks at the issue of self-plagiarism.(2000) - Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
The Writing Tutorial Services at Indiana University - Bloomington offers tips to help students properly paraphrase and cite sources. Strategies are offered to help avoid plagiarizing. (2004) - Honesty in online education. Pointers and clickers: technology tip of the month
This technology tip of the month from Illinois Online Network's (ION) Virgil E. Varvel Jr. offers useful data and resources about online cheating. Mr. Varvel discusses reasons that people cheat, plagiarism detection tips, and guidelines on how to promote honesty. (2005) - Guide to plagiarism and cyber-plagiarism
This University of Alberta Libraries guide provides statistics on plagiarism and discusses reasons that students plagiarize. The guide offers specific suggestions for decreasing and preventing plagiarism.
