First-Year Experience
(Destination Kent)
Plagiarism Workshop
Rob Kairis
Library Director
Kent State Stark
Observations …
In a population the size of the Stark
Campus, approximately how many
students do you think commit acts of
plagiarism?
33%
33%
33%
A. Most Students
B. Many Students
C. Only a few Students
A.
B.
C.
Observations …
50.4% of students believe that their peers
cut and paste from the internet and hand
in the work as their own
While …
Only 8% admit to doing it themselves*
* Scanlon, P.M., and D.R. Neumann. “Internet Plagiarism among college students.” Journal of College
Student Development 43:3 (2002): 374-385.
Observations …
62.2% of students believe that their peers
purchase papers from online paper mills
While …
Only 8.3% admit to doing it themselves*
* Scanlon, P.M., and D.R. Neumann. “Internet Plagiarism among college students.” Journal of College
Student Development 43:3 (2002): 374-385.
Observations …
In terms of severity in a college or university
environment, how bad would you say
plagiarism is?
..
a.
u
ge
tc
en
ts
sh
o
if
yo
stu
d
ba
d
d
an
It
's
on
ly
d
ba
It
's
0%
u.
en
t..
.
st
ud
a
ng
th
i
ew
or
st
0%
.
0%
Th
A. The worst thing a
student could do
B. It's bad and students
should not do it, but it
is not the worst thing
a student could do
C. It's only bad if you
get caught
Ethics …
Do you download music
from the internet?
A. Yes
B. No
0%
A.
0%
B.
Ethics …
If you do download music
from the internet, do you
pay?
A. Yes
B. No
0%
A.
0%
B.
Ethics …
Makes downloading
music illegal
“400 letters per month are being sent to universities across the United
States - 424 copyright infringements thus far have been sent to Kent
State …
… letters allow for students to settle with the RIAA within a period of
20 days. That is, the student can pay the $3,000 flat rate for
downloading …
… After the 20 days, the student will be given the chance to settle
again, but this time it's for $4,000”*
* Hook, Christopher. “Kent State offers legal alternative to downloading music.“ kentnewsnet.com 21 Aug. 2007.
30 Aug. 2008 <http://media.www.kentnewsnet.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2007/08/22/Entertainment/KentState.Offers.Legal.Alternative.To.Downloading.Music-2933556.shtml>
Ethics …
“A Boston University graduate student was
ordered yesterday to pay four record labels a
total of $675,000 in damages for illegally
downloading 30 songs and sharing them online
in only the second such lawsuit to go to trial.”*
“In the only other downloading lawsuit to go to
trial, a federal jury in Minnesota in June ordered
a woman [33 year-old, single mother of four] in
that state to pay record labels $1.92 million for
infringing on the copyrights of 24 songs.”*
C. It's only bad if you get caught
* Saltzman, Jonathan. “Student must pay $675k for songs; Jury votes damages for illegal downloadsLawyer calls
verdict unfair; vows appeal.“ The Boston Globe 8/1/09, Metro, p. 1.
Definition …
“To take and present as one's own a material
portion of the ideas or words of another or to
present as one's own an idea or work derived
from an existing source without full and
proper credit to the source of the ideas,
words, or works.”
Kent State’s policy on Cheating and Plagiarism:
http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/policydetails.cfm?customel_datapageid_1976529=2037779
If You’re Accused …
1. Your instructor informs you
verbally or in writing that he/she
suspects you of plagiarizing
2. Your instructor provides you
with an opportunity to explain
orally or in writing why you
believe you did not plagiarize
3. If your instructor still believes
you plagiarized he/she may
impose sanctions: • Refuse the work submitted for credit
• Student gets an F or zero on the assignment
• Student fails the class
• Request that stiffer sanctions be applied
• “Plagiarism School”
Plagiarism School …
Modeled after Traffic School …
Instructor agrees to mitigate sanction if student
completes plagiarism school:
• review “plagiarized” assignment
• university policy
• case studies
• homework (“spot the plagiarism”)
If You’re Sanctioned …
The Instructor must report the act of
plagiarism and the sanction applied to
the Office of Student Conduct
The Office of Student Conduct will inform
you that you have the right to appeal the
sanction by writing to that Office within
15 days of getting their notification of
the sanction
If you have been successfully sanctioned
previously or the instructor or dean
request disciplinary sanctions, you must
appeal before the Academic Hearing
Panel
Appeals …
If you appeal …
A hearing will be scheduled with the
Academic Hearing Panel where the
instructor must prove you plagiarized
You and the instructor can call witnesses
and cross exam each other (neither side
can be represented by legal counsel)
The AHP makes a decision in the matter
and provides it to you in writing
Avoiding Plagiarism …
• Always do your own work
• Be organized (failure to properly attribute someone’s work by
mistake is still plagiarism)
• When using facts or figures always cite a source (only widely known
or accepted facts can be presented without citation—there is no
need to cite a source for suggesting that the world is round, for
example)
• It is okay to seek help or advice, but thoughts, ideas, words,
phrases, interpretations etc., should be your own or the source of
origin should be properly cited
• “Double-dipping” (using a substantial portion of a piece of work for
two or more classes without notifying the instructor) is a form of
cheating similar to plagiarism
• If in doubt, ask for help from your instructor (the Library or the
Writing Center)
Case Studies …
1. George Bono's paper on AIDS
2. Rosie Pinetar's essay on The Natural
3. Stuart Lavaman's term paper in Geology
4. Gilbert Trout's book report on Slaughterhouse-Five
5. Lonnie Shakespeare trades papers for a Psychology class
6. Jill St. Blonde writes two papers on the same topic
First-Year Experience
(Destination Kent)
Plagiarism Workshop
Rob Kairis
Library Director
Kent State Stark