Understanding plagiarists and preventing
plagiarism
Caleb Owens
Fiona White
School of Psychology
Origins of plagiarism
› Figure 1 from Perry (2010)
Negligent
Plagiarism
Dishonest
Plagiarism
by
^
Categories and motivations of plagiarists
› Dishonest Plagiarists:
- Student personality characteristics (Williams et
al. 2010)
- Abuse (rather than use) of technology
- Understand but attempt to defeat similarity
detecting software
› Combat with:
- Serious penalties for plagiarism
- Demonstrations of similarity detecting software
- Assignments requiring novel responses
(Research Based)
3
Categories and motivations of plagiarists
› Negligent Plagiarists:
- Poor time management
- Misunderstand referencing conventions
- Have difficulty writing and paraphrasing
- Misunderstand the nature of Universities
- Misunderstand their role at University
- Abuse (rather than use) of technology
› Combat with:
- Education: writing, attitude, authorial identity
- Assignments requiring novel responses
(Research Based)
4
Responses to plagiarism
› Time management
- Online Resources developed by Faculty of Education and Social
Work
- http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/current_students/assista
nce_forms/first_year/time_management.shtml
- The Learning Centre
- http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/help/time/ti_manage.sht
ml
- Counselling and Psychological Services eBooks
- http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/counselling/gethelp/ebooks.shtml
5
Attitude and authorial identity
› Students need to understand that when they think and
write they are not merely concerned with reporting facts in
a journalistic style, but are contributing to knowledge as an
independent author.
- See Elander (2010) “authorial identity”
› Universities are perceived initially by students as bigger
schools where facts are handed down by authorities. This
perception leads to a desire to reproduce with minimal
input.
› Research based teaching gives us the opportunity to
change such attitudes completely.
6
Attitude and authorial identity
› In Psychology (and many sciences)
- A unique study designed by active researchers is
conducted in tutorials with students as participants
- The results from that are given to students
- Students write up the research as if they are the
researcher
› Which specific study was this study based on?
› This specific study is not identical to any previous research. Lots of
research has been done on context and learning and generalization of
learning; but this study is unique. That is why questions like “What do I
need to write about?” simply do not make sense. You participated in a
unique and brand new study, you have been given the actual results –
and now you can be the first in the world to attempt to make sense of
its findings and their implications.
7
Writing and paraphrasing skills, understanding text
matching software
› Exemplar based teaching (watching the tutor mark and write)
- Examples of previous research reports made available to students
(essential with our assessment policy anyway), but…
- Exemplars are marked by tutors in front of students
- Exemplars from one grade are transformed/re-written by tutors in front
of students. A Credit paper becomes an HD in front of their eyes
› Interactive writing (students write in-class)
- Students are given a resource sheet and asked to paraphrase, quote,
and write original material from it
- After each exercise students switch seats OR software sends their
writing across the room, and the tutor then instructs students on how
to mark the writing.
- All elements of writing can be taught: citation, paraphrasing etc.
8
Using and not abusing technology
› Resources to teach research skills
- Library modules on search engines (PsycINFO; Web of Science)
- Interactive online quizzes testing research (and other writing skills)
› Efforts to teach students the way similarity detecting software works
- Students are given and encouraged to use the free software “Wcopyfind”
- students can teach themselves proper paraphrasing
- students take responsibility checking their work
- Writing tutorials finish with a submission to Turnitin
- The limitations of Turnitin are explicitly discussed
› Students (and teachers) need to understand
- Similarity detecting software does not detect plagiarism (just similarities)
- Where similarity detecting software does not detect a match this does not
mean that the non-matching sections are 1.Well written and 2.Not plagiarised.
9
References
Contact: Caleb Owens (caleb.owens@sydney.edu.au) and Fiona White
(fiona.white@sydney.edu.au) for more information on the materials we designed to
improve writing and reduce plagiarism.
10
Supplementary notes on Turnitin
Allow students to see Originality Reports
› NO
Classroom exercise
on Turnitin and/or
comprehensive
information
Major assignment
submitted to Turnitin
Tutors and
Coordinators see
and interpret
originality reports
A new source of
information is found
and uploaded to
Turnitin
Supplementary notes on Turnitin
Allow students to see Originality Reports
› YES
Information about
Turnitin – how to
interpret output
Major assignment
submitted to Turnitin
Major assignment
submitted to Turnitin
Tutors and
Coordinators see
and interpret
originality reports
Student sees
originality report
and alters matching
sections (and feels
assured)
A new source of
information is found
and uploaded to
Turnitin
Supplementary notes on Turnitin
Allow students to see Originality Reports?
NO
YES
› Advantages:
› “Advantages”:
- Students motivated to learn how to write, and
reference, and paraphrase
- As new sources of plagiarism are found they
can be investigated further
› Disadvantages:
- You have to fully educate your students as to
how the software works
- Extensive documentation in UOS outlines
and/or
- Hands on experience with Turnitin in the
classroom
- No plagiarism is detected!
- No admin surrounding plagiarism!
› Disadvantages:
- Students must all be trained to interpret Turnitin
output!
- Students’ assurance in no matches may be
misguided (i.e. The source of their writing may
not be uploaded until after their ‘check’)
- If they have not learnt how to write for
themselves, the moment at which they do get
disciplined has been moved forward to later
years when plagiarism is treated more seriously,
or just to other units of study
- Students assume non-matching parts are ‘good’
The overwhelming advice here is to keep students well away from Turnitin output except in a tutorial context
where they are being taught to write and understand how the software works. At most if Turnitin output is to be
made available it must be at the early DRAFT stage of the assignment (separate from final submission) where the
limitations of Turnitin are explicitly explained.