Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

When we learn, we are gaining knowledge. This can be done through discussions and reading materials as we construct our knowledge by building on what others have previously learned and shared.  In the online environment, we learn through a community, learning from others. As learners, we are encouraged to seek other sources in addition to those provided. How we share the knowledge that we have gained from someone else is the topic now being discussed.  We must always be sure to acknowledge and credit the original source.

‘Plagiarism involves literary theft, stealing (by copying) the words or ideas of someone else and passing them off as one’s own without crediting the source’ (Park, 2003, p. 472).  Park (2003) cites Wilhoit, Brandt & Howard who describe four main ways to plagiarize:

‘Stealing material from another source and passing it off as their own…

Submitting a paper written by someone else…

Supplying paper documentation (including the full reference) but leaving out quotation marks…

Paraphrasing material from one or more source texts without supplying appropriate documentation’.

As a future online instructor, it is essential that I am aware of plagiarism and review students’ work to identify this.  I also have a responsibility to assist students in avoiding plagiarism. McCabe and Pavela (as cited by Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006) tell us ‘members of intellectual communities, such as universities, are expected to value honesty, trustworthiness, and civility and to behave accordingly…’ (p. 1).

Although sometimes challenging and time consuming, instructors have tools available to them allowing them to detect plagiarism within students’ work.  One useful tool used by many universities is the Turnitin tool. Written work can be submitted to Turnitin and work of others can be identified and appropriate referencing can be verified.  Other options are also available.  ‘Recent years have witnessed the emergence and proliferation of a new form of plagiarism, from digital sources, which offers new opportunities and ease of access…’ (Bank, 2003, p. 481).  This ease of access fortunately applies to both learner and instructor which means that the instructor is able to explore the source themselves, for example through using Google Scholar.

The instructor should be supportive of students and offer advice on best practices for accurate referencing. The instructor should get to know students taking the course and ask himself or herself:  How familiar are students with the reference style required?  What are the cultures of the students? In some non-Western cultures, ‘it must be taken into account when dealing appropriately with plagiarism by students from different cultural background, grounded in different notions of respect for authority and different traditions of academic writing’ (Park, 2003, p. 473). We are further told that time management is a factor in why students plagiarize (p. 479).  An instructor should allow adequate time for papers to be written and encourage students to practice good time-management skills.

Assessments should be designed with plagiarism prevention in mind.   The instructor should include the use of a specified reference scheme in rubrics or assessment strategies and have students be aware of these assessments prior to submission.  They should also share knowledge of tools available to prevent plagiarism.  In a prior course, we had a discussion on referencing and found and shared tools available.  Google scholar often has a ‘Cite’ link associated with articles where students can have immediate access to a reference. We should also encourage students to take workshops offered by the university to improve their writing skills.  In addition, many universities offer tools that students can use prior to submission to be sure that they are not unintentionally plagiarizing.

In summary, plagiarism is fairly common practice, however, there are steps to prevent it.  As an instructor, I plan to support my learners using the above methods.  As an instructional designer, it is my duty to ensure that courses are designed with instructors assisting learners in every way possible to help them achieve success. 

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 using the Education Research Complete database.

Park, C. (2003). In Other (People's) Words- Plagiarism by university students--literature and lessons. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 28(5), 471-488..pdf