Plagiarism and the Internet Workshop Agenda: Introductions and Background The Problem Possible Solutions Conclusion NOTE: Please ask questions as we go

Plagiarism and the Internet

Workshop Agenda:Introductions and Background

The ProblemPossible Solutions

Conclusion

NOTE: Please ask questions as we go & if you need to use the facilities or grab a snack feel free

Steve GarwoodINFOLINK

Cybercheats

The Problem

• Q&A

• Terrible Timmy’s Tale

Cybercheats – The Problem – Q&A(data from 1998 Who’s Who in American High School Student’s survey)

AnswersAlmost everybody does itFairly CommonPretty RareNever HappensNo Answer

Question: How common is cheating at your school?

Responses21.8%60.9%16.5%0.4%0.3%

Answers

Cheated on a quiz or test

Copied someone else’s homework

Plagiarized part of an essay

Used Cliff’s or Monarch Notes to avoid reading a book

None of the Above

Question: Which of the following have you done?

Responses

39.6%

66.7%

13.2%

28.9%

19.5%


Answers

Competition for good grades

Didn’t seem like a big deal

Didn’t think I’d get caught

Not interested in the subject

To get into a good college

Question: If you have cheated…why?

Responses

55.6%

53%

23.6%

28.9%

14.4%


Answers

Very difficult

Somewhat difficult

Not very difficult

Easy

Question: How easy would it be for you to obtain test questions or answers at your school?

Responses

14.9%

25.5%

28.2%

30%


Answers

I was caught and punished

I was caught but not punished

I was not caught

Question: If you have cheated what happened?

Responses

6.2%

6.4%

95.1%


Question:

1. If you’re competing to get good grades

2. Cheating is fairly common

3. It’s easy to obtain test questions and answers

4. And you have a 4.9% chance of getting caught

Why NOT cheat?

Cybercheats – The Problem – Q&A

Answers:

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 verbatim from page 888 of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10th edition.

Make sure students know…don’t assume

Cybercheats – The Problem – Q&A

Cybercheats

The Problem:

Terrible Timmy’s Tale

(an example of how easy it can be)

Timmy’s Homework Assignment:

Write about 500 words on:

The Theme of Madness in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

(Note: This is all of the assignment, no source requirements, no research instructions, etc. Think of it as a

first paper assignment.)

Other areas often seen at the library: biomes, literature terms, global warming, drug abuse/treatment, pros/cons such as driving age, voting age, biographical assignments…

Cybercheats – The Problem – TTT

Timmy ponders how to do his assignment

Library? – No

-I’d have to get out of my chair

-I’d have to get my mom to drive me

-The books I need will be all checked out anyway

-Those surly librarians are mean

-It’s too cold/hot



One of those Term paper sites? – Hmmm, maybe.

Note these are free sites and all had Hamlet essays - most with bibliographies:

http://essays.terrashare.com/

http://www.netessays.com/

http://www.schoolbytes.com/

There are more…



Some notes on the free sites:

Content: Submit one/Get onePlenty out there (Students posting to web)Very much like fraternity test/paper filesSome papers good/some stink

“Ethics”: Some are blatant (go ahead…sue…they’ll love you)

Ownership: Many of these sites are owned by the same persontherefore lots of repetition



One of those Term paper sites? – Hmmm, maybe.

Note these are pay sites some of which will write an original paper :

http://www.geniuspapers.com/

http://www.cheathouse.com/

http://www.termpapers-on-file.com/

http://www.papermasters.com/

There are more…



Some notes on the pay sites:

Money: SubscriptionSome pay by page

Guarantees: Some will guarantee the grade

Content: Some prewritten/some individualizedCollege kids will do anything for money

“Reminds me”:Of the ads in the back of Rolling Stone



Search Engines? – Let me try that first. I’ve heard that Google

is pretty good.


Timmy searches Google


Timmy sees novelguide.com info


Timmy copies and pastes to Word


Timmy adds fluff and a fake citation making work his own.


Is Timmy alone????

NOPE…Remember…

“4 out of 5 high achievers surveyed in 1998 admitted to cheating on school work according to Who’s Who Among American High School Students and more than ½ of those said such cheating was “no big deal”, and practically none got caught.”

Actually Timmy might be less terrible THAN typical


Is there a way to catch Timmy????

In this case yes. Since Timmy was lazy and didn’t try to change the work he got very much.

A “phrase search” in Alta Vista, Google or a MetaSearch engine will find his work. More about this in a lil bit

However…more enterprising Timmy’s will be hard to catch…


Types of “Plagiarists”:(Is this plagiarism to you?)

• The Mega Copier

• Patchwork Partier

• The Omiter

• Source Faker

• Super Paraphrasers

• The Author (for others and himself)

• The Purchaser


CybercheatsPossible Solutions

• Working with Students

• Tips for Teachers

• Defining Plagiarism

• Academic Integrity Policies

• Phrase Searching and Search Engine Tips

• Using Screening Services

• Make sure they understand not just the “hows” but the “whys”

• Go Ahead…ask them if they know “why” they should do something

• Use research paper tutorial sites that you like. Kids like the web, might as well use it.

My favorite is the Internet Public Library’s A+ writing site.

Working with Students

Cybercheats – Possible Solutions

• Let students know that you know about those paper mill websites. Then do actually check some of them out.

• Go a step further and take students to one of the sites, review a weak paper with students and analyze its failures.



Teaching citations:Trouble with citations is often cited as a

reason for plagiarism…if you get points taken off for bad cites…why cite?

One of the problems:

The MLA and APA books are difficult to use!

If I ever wanted to see a student back at my desk…I just gave them those manuals




Alternatives to the APA and MLA books

• Simple guidelines like at U. Of Albany

• Online services Noodlebib, Easybib, Citation Machine

• Or, at least copy those necessary pages (just beware of copyright)


• What is Plagiarism? Make sure they get it.

• Compare it to that they’re familiar with –

E.G. Hip/Hop’s reuse of lyrics, beats, and the use of licensing agencies

"A federal appeals court ruled Sept. 7, 2004 that rap artists should pay for every musical sample included in their work -- even minor, unrecognizable snippets

of music." AP reporting on Bridgeport Music v. Dimension Films



• Be careful to give specific, non-generic instructions for papers. Specificity makes it harder to cheat.

• Get writing samples. Comparing past work to new work can help catch plagiarized items.

• Watch the process: Get drafts, use peer groups to evaluate, have drafts submitted with assignments.

Tips for Teachers: Preventive Techniques


Instead of traditional writing assignments…

• Change the format (skit, interview, news story)

• Make comparisons

• Create a game (20 questions, jeopardy)

• Write a letter to your biographical person

• Color code citations to Works Cited page

• Writing Sample – No Warning, no books, color paper handed out in class

• No such thing as a “cheat proof” assignment

• Mix formats


Tips for Teachers: Preventive Techniques

• Check for website printout page numbers or dates, grayed out letters, lines at the top of the pages...

• 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?

Tips for Teachers: Detection Tips


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

• Asking your parent or a friend to rewrite your essay, making all the changes or corrections for you

• Asking your parents or a friend to help you search the Internet for information for a report

• 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

• Hiring a tutor to help you write better

Defining Plagiarism. Do any of these apply?


• Do you have one?

• Have you read it? Has anyone else? parents? students?

• How was the policy written?

• Is it ever enforced?

Academic Integrity Policies (They work)

What makes a good speed trap?

• Consistent

• Set up well

• Enforceable

• Others do your work for you


• “” 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

• Remember where students are searching – AOL, MSN, Yahoo…Public Library, School Library, etc.

Simple Phrase Searching/Search Engine Tips


• TurnItIn.com

• MyDropBox.com

You can use them to:

• Screen

• Review work before it’s handed in

• Make a credible “threat”

Using those screening services


CybercheatsConclusion

5 Steps to Addressing Plagiarism 5 Steps that I think will help

• Acknowledge the issue with all involved

• Universally define plagiarism

• Create a solid enforceable Academic Honesty Policy and promote it

• Create methods to prevent occurrences of and screen for Plagiarism

• Be a good role model

Cybercheats – Conclusion

Hmmm, lastly, how much of this presentation do you think was taken from the web?

See any citations?

Well I couldn’t not cite (here they are):• Timmy’s Tale is mine• Besides that everything else is in the handouts


Cody (my dog) says: This presentation available at:

http://www.stevegarwood.com/classes


Documents

Plagiarism and the Internet Workshop Agenda: Introductions and Background The Problem Possible Solutions Conclusion NOTE: Please ask questions as we go