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In this bulletin we:
“Help! I have just come across three assignments that are
practically identical and I am only part way through my
marking! I don’t know whether the students have worked
together, whether one student has done the work and lent it
to the other two, or perhaps they all copied the same article from the internet. While I
want to get to the bottom of this particular case and do something about it, I am more
concerned about how I can stop this happening again. Where do I start?”
A. Teacher
The only differences I
can spot in these
three assignments are
the students’ names!
Some of my classmates are lazy.
They copy completely. They only
care about passing. This is not
respectful.
Students who are weak at language
may be more likely to plagiarise.
My friend works very hard,
but when we have a lot of
work due at the same time,
he cannot get it all finished
and asks to look at mine.
Refusing to let him when he
has a great need is not a
buddyship act and would
look selfish.
I think some of my
friends have tried to do
their homework but
don’t know how. They
are very upset and
under lots of pressure.
They don’t know where
to get help so they copy
from wherever they can.
I listed all my readings for
the assignment in my
reference list, but the
lecturer wrote “you must
include in-text citations”. I
don’t know what she wants.
Answers, format and style can be
similar because we discuss and
compare our work. Teachers should
know the difference between this
and copying.
Students look for and get a lot of
information from the internet. In joining it
together, it seems like your own work. I
have only just learned this is plagiarism.
My friends and I complained about other
students copying but it seemed our
complaints were useless. The lecturer
said he had no time to catch the copycats.
H.E.L.P. ! is produced by the
Educational Development Centre
(EDC) of The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University.
Explain plagiarism: Check understandings
While many students have some
knowledge about plagiarism, do
find out if understandings are
shared. Cases are a good vehicle
for doing so.
Is this Plagiarism?
HK included a paragraph in his essay
that he had copied from the internet.
He did not acknowledge the source
because he changed a
few words.
Stress the importance of
honest work
Explore with the students why it is
important to do their own work and
properly acknowledge the work of others. Question the
fairness of taking someone else’s work and not giving them
credit. Consider the consequences in terms of limiting learning
and damaging future study and employment prospects.
Advise penalties
Plagiarism is regarded as a serious disciplinary offence at
PolyU. Provide concrete examples of cases and tell students
the penalties:
About
• A lower grade or a fail for that work.
Plagiarism
and
• A lower degree classification.
How to
A oid It
Av
• Suspension or expulsion.
Ac
Academic
ic
Inte
ntegrity
H t Ti
Hot
Tips
p
for PolyU Students
Provide resources
Give each student a copy of this booklet
and alert them to the contents.
Copies are available from EDC.
w
ta
a
➙
A PowerPoint is available for using with new students at
orientation sessions.
Go to: http://edc.polyu.edu.hk/PSP/teacher.htm and
click on Useful Resources and Links.
©2008 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
We are taught what plagiarism is
and the skills to avoid it. However,
most students forget how to do it
because they do not have enough
chances to practise.
Programme Leaders play a vital role in ensuring that new
students are educated about plagiarism, its perils, how to avoid
it and the importance of doing their own work. Here are some
ideas for briefing new students.
yo
u
In recent years, PolyU students have provided useful
insights into why some students plagiarise. This data
provides a good starting point for thinking about what we
can do to motivate or enable students who intentionally or
unintentionally plagiarise when they do their work.
Programme Leaders Taking the Lead
fro
m
Students Explain Why Students Plagiarise
Educate New Students
y
Getting to “Why?”
• Pass on reasons PolyU
students provide for
plagiarising.
• Recommend some
actions that Programme
Leaders and teachers can
take to help students
avoid plagiarism.
Maintaining Momentum: Teachers Taking Action
Educate Yourself
If you are unsure about some of the finer
points about plagiarism, you might:
• Find out about PolyU’s
expectations and resources. Start by
exploring PolyU’s Student
Handbook and EDC’s resources.
http://edc.polyu.edu.hk/PSP/teacher.htm
• Find out departmental
expectations and practices. What
information have the students been
given? What can you do when you
find plagiarised work?
• Attend EDC workshops on the
topic including those on electronic
detection.
The First Assignment:
Mine the Moment
The first assignment you set provides
a great opportunity to impress on
students the importance and value of
doing their own work.
Promote honesty as a core value
“Do as I do” is more
effective than “Do
as I say”. Show
students a
published piece of
your own work.
• Get them to identify important
referencing conventions.
• Discuss why you acknowledge the
work of others.
©2008 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Distribute and discuss the Honour
Declaration
If your department does not have
one, design your own (there are
plenty of examples on the internet).
You might add a checklist that is
appropriate to the assignment and the
students’ level, e.g.,
I have followed quotation and
citation conventions.
All sources are in my reference list.
Remind students about resources
Design Plagiarism
out of Assessment
Remember to
Remind
What you assess and how you manage
assessment can aid learning and lessen
opportunities for lazy students to copy.
Learning to cite and reference takes
practice. If plagiarism begins to be a
problem you may need to provide
students with reminders and
explanations about further requirements.
A timely discussion or an activity may be
useful to stress the point.
Think about the following:
1. Don’t over assess. Overloaded
students take shortcuts!
2. Pitch assessment at the right level.
Desperate students take shortcuts!
3. Change topics each year so
students can’t copy from past
students.
4. Ask questions that Don’t panic. It’ the
essay every
require students to same
year. I’ll email you
analyse and
mine from last year.
evaluate rather
I copied it from my
brother who got an
than describe and
A the year before.
explain.
5. Centre topics on
recent/local events.
6. Require personal
examples from
field trips or
work-based
learning.
7. Ask for proof of authorship
through, for example, an annotated
bibliography, call numbers of
books used, access dates of internet
references, photocopies of articles
used, an outline, or an early draft.
8. Have students write a reflection on
their work. Ask them to write
about (i) the problems they
encountered and how they
approached them, and (ii) what
they learned in doing the
assignment.
9. Require electronic submission and
tell students why.
10. Be explicit about whether and how
students are allowed to work
collaboratively for the assignment.
Write a short quiz that will focus on less
common referencing conventions, e.g.,
1. Internet material that
has no named author
does not have to be
referenced.
TRUE FALSE
2. A reference made to an interview you
conducted must include the name of
the interviewee. TRUE FALSE
Student’ individual or group responses
will allow you to clarify referencing
conventions and expectations.
Visible detection:
Catch the thief!
Copied work is easy to
find using Turnitin.
Tell students about the measures
you take to detect plagiarism.
Helping students help
themselves
Ask students who are having
problems with referencing to
learn more about it. Explain to students
that giving their friends their work (i) is
not helping them learn, and (ii) might
land them in trouble. Refer students to:
Contact Us
See that everyone has their copy of
About Plagiarism and How to Avoid It.
Educational Development Centre
Leave no room for doubt
Phone: 2766 6292
Present groups of students with
several authentic cases.
• Ask them to determine the penalty
they think should be applied.
• Tell them the penalty that you
would apply.
Use a true/false quiz
http://edc.polyu.edu.hk/PSP/student.htm
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hung Hom, Kowloon
Fax: 2334 1569
Email: etdept@inet.polyu.edu.hk
This issue of H.E.L.P.! was written by
Adele Graham and Sam Graham.
Screen Beans Art © A Bit Better Corporation
Read
online at:
http://edc.polyu.edu.hk/help
Helping students get the help
they need
Some students need more help than you
can offer. Refer students with language
problems (which can sometimes lead to
plagiarism) to the English Language
Centre’s services and resources.
Go to: http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/
EDC ref 07