Week 6

Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

While student cheating and plagiarism has been a concern for many years, the advance of easily accessible electronic sources of information provides more access and opportunity for deliberate or accidental plagiarism and cheating. Many researchers suggest that plagiarism is often unintentional, and may be a result of poor paraphrasing or lack of understanding of what constitutes plagiarism (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). Other contributing factors in the increase of cheating and plagiarism includes large amounts of electronic content and myriad sources of content, and pressure to achieve (Brown, Jordan, Rubin, & Arome, 2010). Further, Chao, Wilhelm, and Neureuther (2009) suggest that the increase in plagiarism and cheating is also a result of a "disregard for following academic integrity policy and the lack of consistent enforcement of such policy" (p. 32). Whatever the driving causes, there are clearly concerns about cheating and plagiarism in the online learning communities.

Online instructors or support groups can provide instruction and feedback on appropriate paraphrasing and citation. Certainly some students may deliberately ignore requirements for citing sources of information, and in these cases strict and consistent consequences are required. In other cases, it is more important to teach appropriate citation and paraphrasing to inform students.

To facilitate prevention of plagiarism and cheating in an online environment, instructors require tools and strategies to identify and address plagiarism and cheating. One tool is plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). According to Jocoy and Diabiase, plagiarism detection software is significantly more effective than manual checking for plagiarism. In their study, they found a 13% rate of plagiarism in adults, which is similar for undergraduate students.

Identifying plagiarism is just part of the job. The other key part is how to address the problem. Chao, Wilhelm, and Neureuther (2009) suggest that not all plagiarism is deliberate dishonesty, but may be a result of a lack of understanding of requirements for citation and an inability to effectively paraphrase. The challenge is determining whether the student was cheating deliberately or unintentionally. Factors to help instructors determine whether the plagiarism was deliberate or a lack of knowledge includes the frequency of plagiarism, whether the issue was poor paraphrasing or an incorrect citation, or whether the student was attempting to pass off the work of others as his or her own.

Other tools that can be used to prevent academic dishonesty include the use of authentic learning contents and assessments. Palloff and Pratt (n.d.) suggest that multiple choice assessments are not good choices for determining the students' grasp of content. It is simply too easy for students to cheat, and are also not good choices to evaluate higher level thinking skills such as applying, analyzing, and evaluating. If the student is instead required to apply what they have learned in a project-based project or an authentic application, there is less opportunity for cheating. As Palloff and Pratt points out, evaluating student learning using authentic application provides an environment that better represents the skills and capabilities that the student would need and apply in a work environment. Brown, Jordan, Rubin, and Arome (2010) echoes the concept of authentic assessment that includes both reflection as well as student learning. Other suggestions to prevent cheating is to provide students with unique assignments, demonstrate knowledge through wikis or blogs, and provide cognitive scaffolding.

Just as cheating can occur in a face-to-face environment, so too can cheating occur in an online environment. The difference is the tools and strategies that are use to identify and address the issues.

References

Brown, V., Jordan, R., Rubin, N., & Arome, G. (2010). Strengths and weaknesses of plagiarism detection software. Journal of Literacy and Technology, 11(1/2), 110–131.

Chao, C., Wilhelm, W., & Neureuther, B. (2009). A study of electronic detection and pedagogical approaches for reducing plagiarism. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 51(1), 31–42.

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1–15.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (n.d.). Plagiarism and Cheating [Video]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493411&Survey=1&47=5871191&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1