“But I didn’t mean to!”: Preventing Plagiarism, Teaching Citation, and Modeling Research

What works, what might work, and what no longer works in catching and preventing plagiarism? The Academic Integrity Protocol developed by Wendy Nielsen is an evolving series of exercises designed to help students understand what plagiarism is and how to cite outside sources, particularly those online.

The following material is adapted from a presentation given by Dr. Wendy C. Nielsen, Associate Professor of English, Montclair State University. 

Why Students Plagiarize

• They think plagiarism requires an intent to cheat.
• They don’t know what to write about. 
• They want to “make it sound better.”
• They believe if they reduce their Turnitin plagiarism score they are in the clear.

Specific to plagiarizing from online sources:

• They do not know how to cite internet sources (citation style/formatting).
• They forget to cite internet sources (sloppiness).
• They erroneously view the internet as a site of “general knowledge” or “common knowledge” that doesn’t require citation.
• They were taught to “research” online in K-12 but not necessarily how to properly cite sources.

A fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes plagiarism can lead to violations of the University’s academic honesty policy. Students must be explicitly taught how and why to cite sources properly and consistently.

How to Detect and Prevent Plagiarism

What works, what might work, and what no longer works in catching and preventing plagiarism

Things that don’t work to catch and prevent plagiarism:

1. Over relying on Turnitin and AI-detection programs
2. Thinking that no one is plagiarizing
3. Requiring students to take the Colby, Bates and Bowdoin (CBB) Plagiarism test
4. Requiring an instructor-created honor code on its own
5. Making an overly complicated “Academic Integrity Protocol.”

Things that might work to catch and prevent plagiarism:

1. Offering more low-stakes assignments
2. Having more face time; less time on the computer
3. Changing Turnitin “plagiarism review” settings to show students their Turnitin reports after the assignment has been graded. Students may erroneously believe that such reports address all aspects of plagiarism and may rely solely on the report as evidence of not plagiarizing other work.
4. Preemptively testing assignment output in ChatGPT and the like; see what results you might expect from students using AI-tools

Things that do work to catch and prevent plagiarism:

1. Teaching Citation: Academic Integrity Protocol for Students

2. Step One: Have students engage with a recorded lecture on citation and plagiarism. Make available a 15-20 minute video (e.g., VoiceThread or Panopto video posted on Canvas) so that all students can access and rewatch the recording regardless of attendance. Include a quiz to ensure comprehension. 

The video lecture should promote the positive aspects of citation: 

• Academic readers expect proper and complete citations. 
• Citation teaches others about a subject and documents the genealogies of knowledge. 
• Citation shows the writer has researched the subject and is an authoritative voice on the subject.

The lecture should also discuss the details of academic honesty:

• When and how to cite 
• Caution that intent need not be present for plagiarism to be considered a violation of Montclair State’s academic integrity policy (i.e., “Academic dishonesty is any attempt, including accidental…”).

1. Step Two: Have students sign, acknowledge, and fill out an Honor Code agreement. The document should include definitions of plagiarism and require students to initial, sign, and write a statement attesting to their understanding of plagiarism and potential consequences for violating the agreement. 

• Honor Code is often retroactively helpful in reminding students about the definition of plagiarism and students’ awareness of this definition.
• Honor Code supports responses to student citation during the semester.
• Honor Code can be quoted in plagiarism reports (issued in response to plagiarism cases).

1. Step Three: Have students pass a Citation Exercise paraphrasing from a Wikipedia site.
   • Assign a citation exercise for students to show their understanding of how to cite a summary, which tends to be more difficult than citing a direct quotation.

Sample citation exercise:  

The Academic Integrity Protocol may be: 

• Followed with a discussion in class. Consider assigning a “Citation & Plagiarism Discussion Board” on Canvas on which students reflect on the definition of plagiarism, discuss steps they actively take to avoid it, and ask questions they might have about plagiarism.
• Administered after the Add/Drop period; i.e., once student roster in course is finalized
• Made a prerequisite to receive knowledge of grades in the course.

1. Applying Citation: Assignments that Model Research Methods 

Provide students with the opportunity throughout the semester to practice and apply academic citation models, such as:

1. Annotated bibliography: Such assignments ask students to identify a scholarly debate and to articulate the author’s argument, sources, audience, and bias. Include instructions and questions such as:

• Identify the scholarly debate that the author engages in.
• What creative disagreements can you find with the author? 
• How might you build on this work in new ways that are distinctive from the source?
• Distinguish between your ideas and those of the authors you are reporting on. Cite every time you report an author’s ideas, not only by citing page numbers, but also by indicating through words and phrasing (“According to Stang’s article . . .” ; “The author of this essay argues . . . ”) that you are reporting second-hand information.

1. In-Class Assignments that Teach Students to Analyze Primary Sources
   • Flipped pedagogy and assignments that teach students how to do things with texts and artifacts
   • Scaffold for end-of-semester assignment
   • Step-by-step close analysis
   • Close analysis preceded by a brief literature review, followed by a question with a counter-argument

1. Offering Flexible course policies

2. Offer an online “Deadline Extension Request Form” to allow students to request more time for graded assignments if they do so 48 hours in advance of the original due date.
3. Accept late papers: to maintain fairness and insure completion, points may be deducted from late assignments according to days late: -1 for 1 day late, -2 for 2 days late, etc. 

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 17, 2024 11:22 am