Plagiarism Prevention for Research Projects

Plagiarism Prevention for Research Projects:

Workshop Agenda:Quick Introduction and Background

Prepare & PreventIn the Library/Media Center

Get ‘emConclusion/Questions

NOTE: Please ask questions as needed

Steve GarwoodRutgers University - SCILS

Steve’s Quick Bio Assistant Professor. School of Communication, Information and

Library Studies, Rutgers University (’05-Present)

– Courses: Web Design, Multimedia Production, General Information Technology, Web2.0/Library2.0, Research and Reference Skills

– Teaching undergraduate and graduate students, on-campus and online

Program and Services Coordinator, INFOLINK Library Cooperative (’03-’05)

Customer Education Librarian, Camden County Library/NJ Statewide Reference Center (‘00-’03)

Technology Center Training Coordinator/Reference Librarian, Burlington Count Library (‘98-’00)

Presenter/Lecturer at NJLA, NJASL, NJALA, and other library conferences/meetings (’98-Present)

Contract Trainer on topic of Plagiarism for school in-services and staff development meetings (‘00-Present)

My wife is also a Librarian

Quick Questions

Who’s in a school where plagiarism is a problem?

Who’s heard of a situation in their school where two students…?

Does your school have an Academic Integrity/Honesty Policy?

High School? Middle School? Academic?

Who’s been to my CyberCheats program?

Learning Objectives

After program attendees will be able to:

Identify leading causes and types of plagiarism Set the groundwork to help students avoid plagiarism

temptations Describe how to design assignments to make plagiarism more

difficult Constructively contribute to plagiarism and academic integrity

policies and practices

Prepare & Prevent Get them BEFORE they do it

• Acknowledge the Depth/Scope of the Problem

• Have a Policy and Process

• Define what you (the teacher) wants/doesn’t want

• Get those Assignments Ready!

Prepare & Prevent

Problem - Overview(Things to Remember)

• >70% of students self-disclosed that they’ve cheated*

• <5% have stated that they got caught**

• It's not just the "bad" kids (no one is above…)

• It’s not about getting an “A”

• There are LOTS of ways to cheat/plagiarize

• There are LOTS of sites to help you cheat/plagiarize

• Getting them after they do it is too late

*Who’s Who**NPR Plagiarism

Prepare & Prevent

Problem - Why Plagiarize?

(A Short List)

• Lazy? or Too busy?

• Competition for good grades

(Keep up with everyone else)/(A’s restrict creativity?)

• Didn’t seem like a big deal

• Didn’t think I’d get caught

• Not interested in the subject/uninspired

• To get into a good college

• It’s challenging and fun (you get bragging rights…)

• “That” was plagiarism? (define it)

Prepare & Prevent

Problem - Types of Plagiarists(A Short List)

• The Mega Copier

• Patchwork Partier

• The Omiter

• Source Faker

• Super Paraphrasers

• The Author (for others and himself)

• The Purchaser

• Others? Agree with all these?

Prepare & Prevent

Problem → Prevention

• Now we have an idea of the severity and

background that contribute to the problem

• On to what we can do…

Prepare & Prevent

Definition of Plagiarism

Answer:

To steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own

Question: What is Plagiarism?

…So that I do not get accused of Plagiarism the above was taken from page 888 of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10th edition.

Prepare & Prevent

Definition of Plagiarism II(From RU AI Policy)

Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or by appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or in a footnote. Acknowledgment is required when material from another source stored in print, electronic or other medium is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: "to paraphrase Plato's comment..." and conclude with a footnote identifying the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information which is common knowledge such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be footnoted; however, all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged.

In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any questions about what constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member.

Prepare & Prevent

Are any of these Plagiarism? There’s another point here…

• Asking your parent or a friend to suggest changes or corrections in your written essay

• Sending your paper to an online essay help service that will suggest corrections/changes

• Rewriting a quote from a book in your own words

• Reading someone else’s term paper and then writing your own using some of his ideas and copying part or all of his bibliography

• Writing a report as a group and then each person writing a report that is just a little bit different to hand in

• Listing books in your bibliography that you didn’t read

• Copying sentences or paragraphs from the encyclopedia for your report without using quotation marks or footnotes

• Attributing a quote to a source that it didn’t come from

Prepare & Prevent

Definition of Plagiarism Wrap-Up

• Everyone needs to be on board…teachers, parents, administration, etc.

• Make sure students know…don’t assume

• Don’t tell them what not to do, tell them what to do

• Once you have a definition, stick to it, promote it, be able to say it without having to think about it, remind your students of it, put it on all syllabi, assignment sheets…

Prepare & Prevent

Academic Integrity Policies

General Questions: • Do you have one?• Have you read it? Has anyone else? Have the Parents? Students? Administration? School board?• How was the policy written? When? Last updated?• Is it ever enforced? How do you know?

Academic Integrity Policies and Speed Traps:• Consistently there (visible reminder of the law)• Enforceable - Understanding the wrong action taken• Others do your work for you (other cars slow down)

Where to get examples:• Raise you hand if you’ve got one you’d share• Center for Academic Integrity website• Google it

Prepare & Prevent

Academic Integrity Policies

So now you have a policy…What’s the process?: • What happens if someone violates it?

• What does a teacher do if they catch someone? Suspect someone?

• Act on their own? Take it to the department chair? The Principal?• How do they know?

• What kind of documentation should there be?

• How should the meeting be handled?

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (working w/students)

Set the “ground rules”:

• Bring up cheating/plagiarism right from the start. What it is and what will happen if they do it.

• Make sure they know to ask questions (I tell my students they can’t get an A w/out asking questions)

• If students don’t think you look at assignments, they’re more apt to try to get something by

• Let them know you’re looking at assignments, make comments on everything

• Share general good/bad comments with the class…don’t personalize - generalize

• If they see that you’re taking things seriously, they will too

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (students)(This often falls to the teacher AND media specialist)

Research Process:

• Teach the research process not just the “hows” but the “whys” (I’m not sure they’re getting it).

• Do they know what they’re suppose to be looking for? Too many want to find the paper, not sources

• Why certain sources? • Why not just the Internet/Google/Wikipedia? • Why books AND articles AND…?

Prepare & Prevent


Research Process (continued):

• Compare research to something they can understand• Building a strong paper is like building a strong team…offense/defense, line/running back, etc.• A good paper is like a good song…• iPod vs. Zune, “best” cellphone, job search, college info…how do you know your info is any good?

• What’s the incentive to do the work? (Besides the grade).• No one likes a fake or a poser• This is what you'll get if you actually do the work…• EVERYONE has to research: teachers, business people, plumbers, web designers…

Prepare & Prevent


Research Process (continued):• Teach and reinforce Research tips such as photocopying the LC page from books and attaching it to photocopies, writing citation info directly on articles, tracking citations…

• Make sure they have a short research guide• Keep a Research FAQ

• Online Resources (if student’s are online all the time):• A great site – ipl.org’s Teen A+ Research & Writing site• Yet another – Purdue’s OWL (Online Writing Lab)

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (students)

Paper Mill awareness:• Let Students know that you know about the paper mill sites (and then go check some out)

• Let them know that they’ll encounter Paper Mills during their research, and how to know that something is from a Paper Mill

• These sites aren’t stupid and are more professional looking that most libraries/online databases• What if they cite a source from a Paper Mill?

• Review a paper from a Paper mill site to show common weaknesses (beware some papers are great)

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (students)Citations:• Trouble creating citations is often the reason for plagiarism…if you get points taken off for bad cites…why cite?

• What do you want? Besides just MLA/APA• I want to be able to find where they got their info from, to me spacing/style is less relevant (I’m not everyone)

• Who’s teaching this? Is everyone teaching the same thing?

• Make it easier: • The MLA and APA books stink!• Try easy guides and online sources

• U. Albany Style Guides• Noodlebib, EasyBib, CitationMachine

Prepare & Prevent


Discuss those "weird" situations:• Paraphrasing (what it is, how to do it correctly)• How to cite an article that cites an article that someone finds

in a database

Prepare & Prevent


Teaching what Plagiarism is:• And before I forget, make sure students know what plagiarism actually is.

• It’s a big concept, break it down.

• Give them something to compare it to that they’re familiar with – Maybe Hip/Hop’s reuse of lyrics, beats, etc?

• Check out: • "Was Foucault a plagiarist? Hip-hop sampling and academic citation" by M. Hess, published in Computers and Composition • Bridgeport Music, Inc. et. al. vs. Dimension Films et. Al.

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (students)Teaching what Plagiarism is: (continued)• If Hip-Hop doesn’t work for you, try a game

• UCLA’s Oops I plagiarized!• Hand out a plagiarized paper, see if they can find all the problems (prizes to the winners)

• Make ‘em “feel” it• Take a quiz, trade to grade, give prizes to the highest grader• Give away their credit to others, “I got the info didn’t I”

• If someone answers a question, thank someone else

• Have them teach you what Plagiarism is• They also get to learn how hard it is to teach (grill ‘em)

• Have them write a report on someone who lost their reputation to plagiarism/cheating, blog plagiarism, etc.

• Have them create an Academic Integrity Policy

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (faculty)

First, be a good Role Model

• “As so and so said”

• According to…

• Banish the words “they’ll never know”

• Pay for your music, don’t “steal” your software…

• Do your best to not “justify” doing wrong

• Don’t just teach Character, display Character

Prepare & Prevent


Second, remember that there is no “cheat proof” assignment.

• “cheat proof” = “hacker safe”

• goal is to get what you need and make the assignment difficult to cheat/plagiarize on

Prepare & Prevent

Research Issues (faculty)Assignments

• Can you make it so students WANT to do the assignment?• Make them prove something to you• Compete (best source, best approach)• Make the process fun?• Get their (non-binding) input on how to do this

• Get writing samples.• Comparing past work to new work can help catch plagiarized items.• Get ANY writing sample• Doesn’t have to be formal• Make comments on it• If you let them do it at home, they might plagiarize it

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (continued) • Give specific, non-generic instructions for papers.

• Specificity makes it harder to simply copy/paste.

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (continued) • Change the Structure of the Assignment (or at least part of it)

• Avoid the older brother/sister syndrome• GO NYC !!• Change the format

• Skit, interview, news story, diary entry, memo, proposal• Make comparisons

• That aren’t already done by CQ or Opposing Viewpoints

• Create a game (20 questions, jeopardy)

• Write a letter to your biographical person

• Mix formats

• Add an abstract or executive summary

• Memo attached to paper…

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (continued)

• Change the presentation of the assignment

• PowerPoint (with writing in Notes area)

• Voice or Video (with transcript)

• Blog it! (using actual English)

• Wiki or Google Docs for group collaboration (different colors for different contributors)

• Examples:

• Romeo and Juliet IM Transcript

• Hamlet’s self questioning blog

• Global Warming “newscast” with transcript/sources

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (continued)

Add to the Assignment

• Oral Defense of conclusions for everyone

• Anonymous papers reviewed by group for awards

• Writing

• Quality of Research

• Presentation…

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (Continued)

• Build in a process• Get drafts, use peer groups to evaluate, have drafts submitted with assignments• Just beware of them bringing in a plagiarized paper to start with

• Change the process• Students use OTHER students research to write• Students swap and validate each other’s research/writing

• (Everyone responsible for their own work)• Grade the parts more heavily than the final product• Grade the quality of the sources• Use multiple peer groups for separate parts of the assignment

Prepare & Prevent


Assignments (Continued)

• Make grading easier for yourself (help beat the time game)• Have students color code quotes/citations (match to works cited/bibliography and/or photocopies/printouts of original source)

• Use code rather than having to write out the same explanation on a student’s paper e.g.:

• I use hw for height/width image issues on web pages• - - for content that’s too long• The usual sp or circle for spelling

• Add deadlines for grade reviews/comment reviews/resubmissions, IF you allow for this (I often do not)

In the Library/Media

Center- Teach ‘em (students and faculty)

- Remind ‘em

- Use that website (it’s part of the library/media center)

In the Library/Media Center

Teach ‘em (students & faculty)

What do faculty want?

• What’s most important to them?

• Quality of Sources? Or Citation technique/exactness?

• Do they have particular sources they want

used/reviewed/avoided? Do they know a source exists?

• Why do they want books, articles, websites?

• What does “No Internet” mean? Specifically. Too many kids

think this means no online databases. Online journals?

What are they teaching in the classroom?

• Reinventing the wheel vs. reinforcement


Teach ‘em (students & faculty)

Have good resources available to help with writing

• OWL at Purdue, Univ. of Albany Library Guides, IPL A+

Research and Writing Center

• Be careful to avoid copyright infringement

• Fair Use ≠ All Use

• Make your own short citation guides

(make sure you cite if you “borrow”)

To make sure they’ve got their citation info

• Photocopy that LC page

• Write their cite info ON what they printed

• Use post-its (or bookmarks) in those APA and MLA books


Teach ‘em (students & faculty)(continued)

Make Database Searching “fun” and interesting

• Why doesn’t “ebsco” work like Google?

• Let them teach themselves some things (spelling, and/or)

• Base searches/practice on what they like and/or need

• Who found the best? My source is better than your source..

Web site Evaluation

• SIMPLE

• Content:

• Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Coverage, Currency

• Don’t forget about Visual


Remind ‘em (students & faculty)

Bookmarks (The Printed out kind)

• List research/citation sites

• Definition of Plagiarism

• Short tips to avoid Plagiarism

Signage (by copiers, printers, the door on the way out…)

• “Do it right, make sure to cite”

• “It’s 2am, do you know where your info is from?”

• “You buy your future with what you do now…”

• Post the Academic Integrity Policy (or sections of it)

Signage and posters outside the library


Use that Library Website

Some Good Practices:

• Link out to good sites for assignments that the kids will use and

the faculty will approve of

• Do your best to link sparingly (5 > 20)

• Tweak the language on your site for your databases (do you

have remote access?)

• “Find Articles, Journals”

• Keep explanations/tutorials short and clear

• Sound/Video instead?

• Link back and forth to your Public Library site(s)

• The kids ARE going there to do their research (have you

been there? Do you know what databases they have?)

Get ‘em

Tools to catch the cheaters(You don’t want to get to this step)

Get ‘em

“Simple” Detection techniques

(Not to drone on, but it’s all about time)

• Check for website printout page numbers or dates, grayed out letters and unusual use of upper/lower case and capitalization.

• Notice any jargon or advanced vocabulary or sentence structure.

• Look for short papers…8.5” x 10.5”

• Reference the original assignment. Are any portions of the assignment completely left out?

• Review the bibliography. Is the correct citation style used? Is the citation style used consistently? Does it match the sources referenced in the paper? Are works included actually referenced? (color coding is nice here)

Get ‘em

Use a Search EngineBasics:

• Know how to do phrase searching in several search engines.

• “” is your best friend as it will let you do phrase searches in 99% of Search Engines.

• Use a middle line from a paragraph not introductions/conclusions

• Don’t just use Google, try other engines and types of search tools

Have a Plan:

• Be fair, screen at random

• Be consistent, always check at least a few

Get ‘em

Screening Services

Try a Screening Service• Turn-it-In.com

• MyDropbox.com

• Remember that screeners, just screen…the teacher still has to verify

Formulate a way to use the Service• Everybody, just some, student use, occasional

Get ‘em

Once you get them…

• Remember these services are useless if you don’t know what to do/what you can do when you catch them.

• I’m not sure I’d bother if I didn’t think that SCILS/RU would back me up.

Plagiarism Prevention

Conclusion and Resources

Conclusion

Hmmm, how much of this presentation do you think

was plagiarized?

• See any citations?• Where did I get ALL my information?• How do you know?• How do you know I didn’t make it up?• If I cited some but not all, is that good enough?• Do you have the time to review to see if I did cheat?• What are the repercussions if I did?

Conclusion

Goodbye from the Kitties

Denni and Moose (my cats) say

This presentation available at:http://www.stevegarwood.com/classes/plagiarismprevention

But the cat pictures are far more entertaining…