The Problem of Plagiarism

Students who copy may not know they've committed an offense

By Colleen MacDonell -- School Library Journal, 01/01/2005
With so many middle and high school students using subscription databases and the Web to complete assignments, there's a lot more cutting and pasting taking place than we'd like to see. And while it's understandable that teachers would be tempted to give failing grades to plagiarized work, it's unfair to students who may not even know they're committing an offense. My students at International College, a Pre-K to 12 American school in Beirut, Lebanon, truly believe that their works aren't plagiarized because they've "changed some words." In fact, many of them think cutting and pasting, and then replacing a few words with synonyms, is legitimate. Others have told me that they couldn't write a passage without using the author's own words, making it clear to me that they needed a lesson in how and when to cite sources. Media specialists should offer at least one class on plagiarism to each grade level to ensure that students understand its definition, why it's wrong, and how to avoid it. Can a one-time antiplagiarism session be effective? Absolutely. It worked with my 11th- and 12th-grade students because I engaged them in a debate of the issue and then tested their skills. Prior to my lesson, I made sure that students understood some basic definitions by giving them a copy of our school's policy on plagiarism. (If your school doesn't have one, offer to head up a committee to develop one.) The policy made it clear that plagiarism meant representing someone else's ideas or words as your own, that collusion was allowing someone else to copy your work or writing something for someone else, and that self-plagiarism involved handing in the same work for more than one assignment. I began the one-hour session by asking students to define and give examples of plagiarism. Although most of them found it easy to explain plagiarism and now understood the need for citations, it took a while for many to understand that submitting an assignment more than once is also considered to be an infraction. I thought that showing kids real-life examples would help them better understand. So I gathered eight recent newspaper articles and presented a PowerPoint sequence of stories"Plagiarizing Students Unable to Graduate," "Pastor Resigns After Admitting Plagiarism," and so on. Then I asked the kids to write a one-line summary of each case. I gave them a few minutes to read each other's work in silence before giving them a written test about the kinds of professions affected by plagiarism, the consequences of plagiarism, and if this could happen to them. Most students expressed surprise that plagiarism was even an issue outside of school, but were thoughtful in their responses about how much it could affect their future studies or professional lives. In the discussion that followed, self-plagiarism was the only point that remained contentious for a few

students. It took several minutes of heated debate to persuade the class that you shouldn't get credit for one thing twice. I focused the final part of my lesson on how to correctly cite sources by handing out examples on a simple instruction sheet and then asking students to explain the process of proper bibliographic citations. Then I tested their skills one more time. I gave them a page from an essay that uses three in-text citations: a short quotation, a long indented quotation, and a citation for paraphrased material. I made sure that at least two quotations were from Web sites. Students were asked to identify where citations were required and cite the source using the instruction sheet and citation examples to guide them. Even if you've taught citation methods before, don't assume students know how to do it correctly. Many students didn't get it right the first time, but I wouldn't let anyone leave until each person handed in perfect citations. By the end of the session, we had achieved 100 percent success. Afterward, students raved about how useful the session wasand their teachers were no longer giving out failing grades.

Article 2

Is plagiarism a problem?
Plagiarism: What is it and how to avoid it

According to Dr. Donald McCabe of the Center for Academic Integrity, plagiarism is a big problem, especially in high schools and colleges. New research, released in June 2005, of 50,000 undergraduates at more than 60 colleges showed the following results.
"On most campuses, 70% of students admit to some cheating. Close to one-quarter of the participating students admitted to serious test cheating in the past year and half admitted to one or more instances of serious cheating on written assignments ." [Emphasis added.]
McCabe, Donald L. "CAI Research." Center for Academic Integrity. June 2005. http://www.academicintegrity.org/cai_research.asp.

Moreover, the Internet has made this issue even more prominent by offering papers for sale and for free and by providing easily accessible information online, some of which is legitimate and some of which is not. In addition, some students think that information on the Internet is free and, therefore, does not need to be cited. Everything you use in research, whether from a print resource like a book or an electronic resource like an

article from a full text database or a page from the Internet, must be cited in your footnotes and works cited page. When we talk about citing, we mean that you provide information so someone else can locate the specific article, book, or web site that you used in your research. A citation consists of brief information like author, title, publisher, place of publication, publication date, etc. and, in the case of electronic information, an URL as well. (Please see the handouts page for students for a handout on how to cite electronic information.)

Article 3

Plagiarism: Discussion about Stealing Intellectual Property

Defining plagiarism, why it is unethical, and what should be done to help others from stealing intellectual property without proper attribution. "I think there was far more plagiarism in the last century. It was almost an accepted part of writing. The ethics of writing has changed. Nobody gets upset about whether Shakespeare plagiarized something. But I think the standards have to be pretty high now, particularly for nonfiction writers." [1] Introduction to Plagiarism According to most leading authorities, including The Office of Research Integrity, plagiarism includes "both the theft or misrepresentation of intellectual property and the substantial unattributed textual copying of another's work." [2] Because plagiarism is considered to be a factor of a particular culture or a time, identifying plagiarism is not always easily performed. For example, in some cultures, as well as in some other time periods, the idea of plagiarism is not always clear; however, in this context, the chief concern is using plagiarism in academic custom writing, which is quite different from what defines plagiarism within different societies. [3] In either situation, plagiarism is considered a wrongful act towards the initial piece of work, and when a writer does not provide adequate credit for the a portion of written material, it can often lead to terrible consequences. Forms of Plagiarism Essentially, there are three basic forms of plagiarism, according to the Office of Research Integrity:

(1) Lifting the words right from the text verbatim without providing the appropriate sources. (2) Paraphrasing the words within a published document without gibing appropriate sources. (3) Summarizing the ideas without providing credit to the author of the original text. [4]

Additionally, plagiarism is a concept that seems to becoming more prevalent in today's society, particularly within the area of Higher Education in the western civilizations where a great deal of research has been competed and published. [5] Because of the increased demands that are placed on students, some authorities cite access to the Internet as one of the chief reasons for such growth in plagiarism. [6] Cultural Differences that Define Plagiarism In order to correctly both identify and define plagiarism, it is important to understand that there are different perceptions and opinions with respect to students and the "world" in which they live. In a research document authored by Macdonald in 2003, any resolution to this dilemma rests within the perceptions and opinions of the students. [7] For example, during a study reported in the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, there were twelve students involved in the study who then reported their own individual feelings about plagiarism. According to some authorities, much of the ideas concerning plagiarism, in fact, are learned early in life, when students have no choice but to use what others say to depict their own thoughts. [8] In the aforementioned study, the twelve students responded to specific questions concerning plagiarism and each group of students developed different opinions and thoughts concerning the dilemma; these ideas were developed into three major areas of interest with respect to the students. In the first set of students, each one experienced anxiety concerning the morality of stealing another person's work for individual gain; the second set of students reflected upon academic development as a movement towards a dependence upon more respected authors to help promote their own gain; and the third set of students were art majors and therefore, they had a self-reliant discipline when it pertains to using another person's art in the promotion of individual art. [9] Therefore, according to leading authorities, one cannot assume that all students share the same opinions and views with respect to plagiarism because all people have evolved through different histories. Academic Plagiarism and Journalist Plagiarism Plagiarism is evident in both journalistic work as well as academic work, and each has its own ramifications. [10] For those who commit plagiarism in journalism, the most obvious course of action is immediate dismissal from the company, as the company's reputation is in question with respect to the reading public. One such example (although in the spoken word) is when H. Joachim Maitre, dean of Boston University journalism school delivered a commencement address, using quotations from Michael Medved, a film critic, but without providing proper attribution as to the source of the material. [11] Other examples, especially in the press, have

been on the rise of late, specifically when a Washington Post reporter was dismissed when he wrote a story verbatim without giving proper attribution. [12] However, when plagiarism is found within the academic world, the ramifications can have more dangerous results, as noted in the following passage written in 1999: "Plagiarism attacks the fundamental principles of scholarship academics and foundations upon which the academic community rests." [13] Plagiarism from a Historical Perspective When plagiarism was first identified as a problem in society, it occurred only after the printing press and publications were developed. The idea at that time was not to protect the author (as it is today), but to restrict competition among the many publishers then located in or around London. Cultural history, however, also had an important impact on the use of plagiarized materials. This cannot be more evident than when Haidu, in 1997, made the important observation that plagiarism is more than merely copying another person's art or writing, it also eliminates the need for further development of ideas and perceptions among artists, writers and other similar professions. [14] Finally, if plagiarism is discussed in terms of history and the cultural identity variations, it would be noteworthy to mention that Chinese students are expected to learn the written word through memorization. Pennycook, in 1996, reported that this approach is similar to the western approach of plagiarism and therefore, although the art is clearly defined as usual in China, the western societies rely on their ability to interpret the material and formulate their own conclusions. Intellectual Ownership and Plagiarism To define plagiarism clearly from a ownership perspective, anyone who commits plagiarism (to any extent) is robbing himself or herself of the ability to develop originality and use history as a guide, not only a map from which an academic piece can be derived. [15] Problems in Defining and Identifying Plagiarism However wrong plagiarism is, the problem that faces society today, particularly with the advent of the Internet, is that society does not appreciate each student's perception of what is and what is not plagiarism. For example, there are a number of ways to use historical data in an academic piece without also committing plagiarism. When one summarizes a passage or an entire piece of work, he or she must be able to describe the ideas about the text in his or her own words while also providing the proper credit to the person who originally wrote about the specific topic. When developing an overview, the same can also hold true and the writer is expected to provide the proper citations and attribution to the person(s) who originally put the ideas on paper in the form or essay, term paper, research paper, book report, or dissertation. Without the use of attribution, the writer is committing plagiarism (even an idea) and therefore he or she is also stealing intellectual data from a person who first developed the premise. Without the rules concerning plagiarism, anyone

can state that he or she is the origin of the work, which, again, is stealing intellectual property. [16] Plagiarism: Unethical According to most sources, plagiarism is unethical; however, there is a thick line that divides writers, publishers and others should appropriately deal with the problems. Without any doubt, however, the difference between plagiarisms in journalism is very different from the world of academics. In the world of academics, the writer is usually stealing another's bread and butter; in journalism, where plagiarism is often more convenient, the people soon forget and the damage control continues to modify the employees' education as needed. [17] In either of the two worlds, however, plagiarism is more than merely a misdemeanor; it is theft of someone's difficult work that once resulted in an original thought from an original mind. Stealing from that is similar to stealing one's identity. Conclusion "The ownership of the intellectual property in many situations is seldom clear, and the collaborative histories among the scientists often support a presumption of implied consent to the products of the collaboration by any of the former collaborators. For this reason, the Office of Research Integrity considers many such disputes to be authorship rather than plagiarism." [18] This is a unique problem among those who have completed research on a collaborative level, and it has little to do with extracting information from text and calling the information a unique idea. This is when plagiarism is very similar to stealing: the process of taking an item to which one does not belong.

-----------------Works Cited [1] Jensen, Sharna. "Plagiarism by Historians leaves Writers and others divided." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; March 31, 2002. [2] ORI Provides Working Definition of Plagiarism. Office of Research Integrity, ORI Newsletter, Vol 3, No. 1, December 1994. [3] Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life-world and the meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology September 2002: 90-112. [4] ORI Provides Working Definition of Plagiarism. Office of Research Integrity, ORI Newsletter, Vol 3, No. 1, December 1994. [5] Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life-world and the meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology September 2002: 90-112.

[6] ORI Provides Working Definition of Plagiarism. Office of Research Integrity, ORI Newsletter, Vol 3, No. 1, December 1994. [7] Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life-world and the meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology September 2002: 90-112. [8] Jensen, Sharna. "Plagiarism by Historians leaves Writers and others divided." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; March 31, 2002. [9] Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life-world and the meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology September 2002: 90-112. [10] O'Crowley, Peggy. "Said in other Words." The Record (Bergen County, NJ). Lifestyle Section; July 28, 1991. [11] O'Crowley, Peggy. "Said in other Words." The Record (Bergen County, NJ). Lifestyle Section; July 28, 1991. [12] Ibid. [13] Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life-world and the meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology September 2002: 90-112. [16] Kennedy, Mary; Kennedy, William and Smith, Hadley. Writers in the Disciplines: A Reader for Writers. Englewood Clifs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1987. [17] O'Crowley, Peggy. "Said in other Words." The Record (Bergen County, NJ). Lifestyle Section; July 28, 1991. [18] ORI Provides Working Definition of Plagiarism. Office of Research Integrity, ORI Newsletter, Vol 3, No. 1, December 1994. Bibliography: Jensen, Geeta. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. March 1, 2002, pg. 12A Kennedy, Mary Lynch; Kennedy, William J., and Hadley, Smith. Writing in the Disciplines: A Reader for Writers. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., pgs. 19, 44, and 49. Macdonald, Ranald. "The Student Life and the Meaning of Plagiarism." Journal of Phenomenological Psychology; September 22, 2003. pgs 90-112 Office of Research Integrity Newsletter. Volume 3, No. 1; December, 1994. pgs 1-2. O'Crowley, Peggy. "Said in other words." The Record (Bergen County, New Jersey). Lifestyle Edition; dateline: September 28, 1991.

Plagiarism awareness amongst pre-university students: A pilot study in secondary schools Sivasubramaniam, S. D. ., Nottingham Trent University, UK In 2010, just after the last international conference on plagiarism, a Guardian article reported about rising incidence of plagiarism amongst school children (William, 2010). More importantly the article highlighted the fact that most of the sixth-form heads believed that young people needed to be tutored to avoid plagiarism. In fact, Plagiarism and its prevention has become an important issue in secondary and tertiary education. Both the universities and the schools are investing money and manpower to tackle this issue. They often blame each other for not taking measures to educate the students to avoid plagiarism. Since many university academics believe in lecturing (rather than teaching), we often expect the school teachers to handle these minor issues at a very early stage. However if these issues are really minor, then why are we concerned about it?; why cant we help the school teachers to educate their student about plagiarism?; and above all how can we help school teachers to provide the students, at least, a basic understanding on plagiarism and how to avoid this? This study was initially designed to answer some of these questions. The aim of this study was to investigate the basic knowledge of plagiarism amongst universityentry level school students and to educate them to deter plagiarism by highlighting their moral obligations as learners. The study was conducted secondary schools/sixth form colleges in the East Midlands. It was conducted in the form of workshops involving 701 advanced level (A2) students. Initially students basic knowledge of plagiarism was established by true/false assessments from the 5 scenarios. This was followed by a discussion session on different types of plagiarism with examples taken from science-related subjects. Finally students were expected to complete another true/false test (part 2) based on 5 new scenarios. The effectiveness of the workshop was analysed by comparing their scores in parts 1 and 2. It was assumed that the students have a basic knowledge of plagiarism if they correctly identified 3 or more scenarios. The results of this study show that 636 out of 701 of the entry level students (90%) correctly identified three or more pre-workshop scenarios. However, the number of students who correctly identified all 5 pre-workshop scenarios was 246 (35%). This increased to 607 (87%) in post-workshop performance. Since this analysis only shows the overall performances and therefore the individual changes are not properly highlighted, the data were statistically analysed by paired t tests together with Wilcoxon signed-rank test. In both cases, the means were found to be significantly different (p<0.0001). According to the individual scores from pre- and post-workshop assessments, around 315 students (45%) showed strong improvements. Likewise, around 128 students (18%) showed improvement by correctly identifying at least one more additional post-workshop scenarios compared to pre-workshop performance. The data from this study show that university entry level school children do have the basic understanding about plagiarism. However their knowledge can be improved further via subject related workshops on how to avoid plagiarism.