Prevent and Detect Plagiarism

1. Prevent and Detect Plagiarism GTCC Writing Centers

2. Terms to Know • Quotation/Quoting • Verbatim • Paraphrase • Summary • Citation/Citing • Documentation • Bibliography • Works Cited/References

3. What Is Plagiarism? • Copying from a source verbatim without using quotation marks and/or citing the source. • Paraphrasing without citing the source. • Paraphrasing inadequately (e.g. changing a word here and there).

4. Two Types of Plagiarism • Intentional—a student uses material written in whole or in part that someone else wrote without quoting or crediting the material • E.g. Downloading a paper off the internet • Copying and pasting passages from an internet source into an essay • Using a paper written by a friend • Unintentional—a student does not correctly credit a source • E.g. Citing a paragraph copied from a source but failing to put it in quotation marks to indicate it is a direct copy

5. Prevent Plagiarism: Set Clear Expectations • Include a plagiarism/academic honesty policy in your course syllabus. • Have students sign a plagiarism/syllabus contract. • Indicate in the assignment instructions: • Penalties for plagiarism. • Whether or not sources should be used. • Requirements for documentation style, sources, and research. • Draft due dates.

6. Prevent Plagiarism:Teach Responsible Source Use • Explain the nuances of documentation and how to avoid plagiarism. • Provide students with additional resources (e.g. OWL at Purdue). • Show students examples of plagiarism. • Require a plagiarism quiz and/or assignment. • Incorporate class activities, such as: • Plagiarism case studies. • Spot the plagiarized passage. • Documentation style activities.

7. Prevent Plagiarism:Devising the Assignment • Use unique, complex topics and change them frequently. • Compare/contrast • Works that are not widely written about • Analysis on many levels • Have the class as a whole or groups of students write on the same topic, research the topic together, and share source materials. • Use the Q&A type of forum in Moodle for discussion forums.

8. Prevent Plagiarism: Research • Provide students with one or more sources to use in addition to the ones they find. • Require: • Specific number of sources. • Specific types of sources. • Certain number of direct quotations and paraphrases in the essay. • Research log.

9. Prevent Plagiarism: Research, continued • Require: • Note cards. • One or more sources to be an interview with a local expert, like a teacher here at the college. • Students submit annotated photocopies or printouts of source materials with borrowed information highlighted. • Students to acknowledge any help they received on a paper in a coversheet or memo to you (typists, proofreaders, editors, tutors, etc.).

10. Prevent Plagiarism: Drafts • Give comments on students' drafts. • Have the students draft the essay in class. Take it up, comment on it, and return it for completion. • Require multiple drafts with handwritten edits and changes highlighted on the final copy.

11. Detect Plagiarism: Tools • Google a phrase or sentence from the paper; put the phrase or sentence in quotation marks to limit results to an exact match. (This also works with the library databases). • Google the sources to make sure they really exist. • Require submission to Turnitin or a similar service.

12. Detect Plagiarism: Activities • Quiz students about their research/papers. (What was your thesis? What were your main points? What order did you put them in?) • Conference with students about their research during the research process. Have them bring their sources to the conference. • Have students complete a demand writing on their topic, research process, or sources.

13. Detect Plagiarism: Use Your Senses • Be suspicious of formatting changes—font size or color, photocopied essays, etc. • Be suspicious of paper topics that change at the last minute. • Be suspicious of “perfect” writing; student writing usually has grammar and spelling errors. • Be suspicious of shifts in vocabulary, tone, audience, and style.