Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

Plagiarism is a concern schools of all types must address. Plagiarism is when students use information without properly citing the source. Jocoy and DiBiase (2006, p. 2) state that “The Council of Writing Program Administrators states that “Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) materials without acknowledging its source” (as cited in Quinn, 2006).” However, in the same study Jocoy and DiBiase also recognizes that the majority of plagiarism seems to be unintentional and the lack of knowing or understanding what constitutes plagiarism. While the casual use of such information may not directly be considered plagiarism by some educational institutes, it is still a form of academic dishonesty as Dr. Rena Palloff explain (Laureate Education, 2012). Most often students do not seem to be aware of the errors they are making. This is where detection software, the design of assessments, and additional strategies can help both students and instructors.

·         What plagiarism detection software is available to online instructors?

There are many plagiarism software programs and websites to help online instructors. Turnitin is a flexible software that compares the turned in product to vast databases of materials looking for too much likeness to original texts. Turnitin is especially nice for institutes that also have internal databases for assignments turned into the school which allows for the searching of assignments previously turned in also. This can help catch plagiarism as well as blatant cheating in the form of using someone else’s work or previous work the student has used in another class. If the budget is too tight to afford a license, there are free options for detection. Grammarly is free to use and can even be added to some browsers which check for spelling and grammatical errors in writing. Grammarly also has a plagiarism detection option which I have always used with great success.

·         How can the design of assessments help prevent academic dishonesty?

Assessments and their grading criteria should clearly state all expectations the students should follow. These should be part of an expectation management strategy that also includes notification of the detection software being used, the penalties for dishonesty, and resources that show proper use of cited or paraphrased materials (Laureate Education, 2012). This expectation management strategy needs to be readily available at all times to the students and instructor for reference and assistance. Assessments that require students to think critically or compare in their own words are more appealing for the sake of avoiding academic dishonesty. Dr. Keith Pratt spoke briefly about making assessments open book with free communication between students which allows for the sharing of information rather than hindering it (Laureate Education, 2012). As Dr. Pratt points out in that video, this is an age where looking up information and collaborating with peers should be encouraged. Knowledge is rarely used in a vacuum anymore and learning that reflects the collaborative nature of the working world helps students learn realistic ways to solve problems.

·         In an effort to reduce the opportunity for plagiarism or cheating, what facilitation strategies do you propose to use as a current or future online instructor?

I would use software like Turnitin or, at least, Grammarly to help me detect plagiarism. I would also try to find ways like Dr. Pratt to make the assessments themselves so involved that sharing information and looking things up would be encouraged instead of discouraged. As Dr. Pratt (Laureate Education, 2012) points out “Real life situations are that if you run into something, you’re given the assignment to do, your boss is not going to tell you, OK, lock yourself in the bathroom and you don’t have access to a computer. You don’t have access to other people.” Unless specifically told it is not allowed collaboration and investigation should be encouraged as it reflects the way problems are solved in the real world more authentically.

·         What additional considerations for online teaching should be made to help detect or prevent cheating and plagiarism?

The Internet has changed how people learn and communicate in ways that need to be considered within education also. Before the Internet came along, it was a lot easier to see if people were cheating because students sat together and could be viewed but the Internet allows people from all over the world to sit in private while being socially active in their learning. Youth no longer sees the need to memorize things like we did back before the Internet because within a few seconds they can find the most up-to-date answer possible from the greatest memory in existence, the web. Working together, sharing ideas, collaborating on a topic while doing separate tasks are how the younger generations think, and it is how workplaces truly work. Online education needs to recognize this and rethink assignments to reflect these social mechanics. Also, because of the Internet, I feel that plagiarism avoidance needs to be actively taught to students repeatedly throughout their courses. Having access to virtually all information ever made requires us to be responsible in how we represent it in our work also. We need to give credit where it is due, and we need to recognize when our work is built on the work of others because they helped to make it happen. Most of us would like recognition for the hard work we do, so it is simply about mutual respect to do the same for the efforts of those we use.

References

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1–15. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. 

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Plagiarism and cheating. Baltimore, MD: Author.