Should you suspect a student plagiarized a paper,
several resources can assist you in tracking down the original
source without much effort. Many students have grown up surrounded
by computers and so potential plagiarizers are more likely to
look to the web when they seek out a source to steal from. Now
faculty can use that same technology to locate the original
source of a plagiarized paper.
Using a search engine
You may be able to locate the source within seconds
using a search engine called "www.alltheweb.com."
Instructions:
1) Go to http://www.alltheweb.com.
2) Type in a phrase from the beginning of the paper that sounds
particularly unique to you.
3) Select from the menu the option "the exact phrase."
4) Press return.
You may find the source that easily.
Despite its title, "www.alltheweb.com" does
not reach to all corners of the web, because no search engine
can. It also doesn't work well if the student plagiarized from
the end of a long web page or if you select the wrong phrase
to type in.
If you have time, you may want to try the same process, using
http://www.google.com or yahoo.com or some other search engine.
Prevention
Clearly, if the discomfort and turmoil of academic dishonesty
can be avoided, it should be. Some students will plagiarize
no matter what steps are taken by faculty, while others will
be deterred with guidance and/or roadblocks making it more difficult
to plagiarize. Here are a few suggestions as to how prevent
academic dishonesty:
Education:
- Discuss why plagiarism is a problem.
- Have a representative of the honor committee come to talk
to the class.
- Explain how to paraphrase and quote.
- Have students paraphrase a line in class and then compare
different students' paraphrases.
- Make clear your attitudes toward plagiarism and describe
penalties.
Define assignments in such
a way as to make it difficult to plagiarize:
- Require students to use and quote class readings.
- Create assignments that would not easily be found elsewhere.
For instance, ask students to compare/contrast two texts
not normally studied together, have them interview an expert,
or define the topic very narrowly.
- Require students to hand in all drafts of papers and photocopies
of all references they used.
Set up a series of
steps students need to complete:
· Assign small assignments, over the course
of a few weeks, leading up to the larger assignments. For instance,
students might have separate due dates for an opening paragraph,
an annotated bibliography, an outline, an instance of citation,
etc.
Don't hesitate to email Ann Bomberger (ann.bomberger@allegheny.edu)
or call me (ext. 4334) with questions, comments or suggestions.
