Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of people’s words, ideas, theories, coined terms, ideas or formulas without giving proper credit, even when the words, ideas, etc. have been translated into the writer’s own words, i.e. paraphrased. This includes a student’s own work. Thus, cutting and pasting large portions of one paper into another as if the writing and ideas were new constitutes plagiarism. (It is also unethical because it is using the same product for different sets of requirements, i.e. “double-dipping.”) When the expectation of the professor or committee is to receive drafts with extensive expansion and revision, such as during the composition of a thesis, each subsequent draft is not considered plagiarism as the product is part of the same project.

Plagiarism is a word, in U.S. university culture at least, to which students may respond with a combination of fear, anger, anxiety or annoyance – fear because they do not want to fail; anger because they have been accused of potentially cheating; anxiety because they may feel they are expected to write better than the published author; and annoyance because they have heard about it before.

Still it is important to reiterate the definition of plagiarism, both verbally and on the syllabi, and to provide a link to the UWT policies on academic integrity (http://www.tacoma.washington.edu/catalog/policy_standards.html). It is equally important to teach how to avoid plagiarism and to talk about public domain. Plagiarism can be avoided by:

                               - citing frequently and properly,

                               - learning to synthesize and then to build on ideas, and

                               - managing one’s time and one’s composition process.

Public domain is different for each one of us and for each student; we each bring a different set of knowledge to the table. Often, factual information and common-sense- type items fall under public domain. For instance, that JFK was assassinated in 1963 is in my public domain; I still remember the announcement to our second grade class. To stop-drop-and-roll when one’s clothes are afire is also in my public domain. Both examples could be tracked to source, but it is not necessary.

However, what was new to a student three quarters ago is not yet in his/her public domain. The criteria for public domain are:

• to have known the information for as long as one can remember;
• to be able to call up the information at will;
• to be able to recall the information accurately; and
• to be free of bias or opinion regarding the information.

Where public domain comes into question most often is when a student is using information he/she knows from his/her professional work. While this is fine, it is best to advise the student to back up the information with research-based sources.

Strategies for reducing plagiarism in student papers:

• Include the definition of plagiarism in your syllabi
• Also point out the definition in class and go over it – 5 minutes of class time will help to provide one with back up for the student who says “but, I didn’t know…”

• Ask each student to hand in a paragraph on his/her topic and a working bibliography at the beginning of each project
• Being aware of and approving topics up front helps the student to choose a topic which is doable and gets the student thinking about the project early in the process. The working bibliography allows the professor to check appropriateness of sources and to recommend other sources.

• Have interim deadlines during a project
• Deadlines can include an outline, parts of a paper, a presentation of findings to date and a discussion of how the research process and/or idea development process are going.

• Link class discussion to students’ projects
• Asking students to make links teaches them to paraphrase, to synthesize, and to do background reading.

• Require that students turn in a rough draft with all papers
• This puts the responsibility on the student, rather than on the faculty member, to show the development of his/her ideas.

Other Comments on Plagiarism and Culture

1) Definitions of plagiarism are culturally based, not only in the culture of a country, wherein it might be considered patronizing to give credit to a nationally-treasured poet or philosopher when the audience is expected to recognize the words, but also within the cultural context of the writing or development of ideas.

Example 1:
At the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a geology student, from another nation where this was considered ok, asked another writer to write his masters thesis in exchange for a large amount of money. He had done the original research and the background research. He had great geological and research skills. He was not uncomfortable about his English writing skills; he simply wanted the best product possible. The other writer turned him down, with the explanation that this could cost him his degree, his academic career in the US, etc., etc. The writer did not refer him to other writers. It did not seem, from their conversation, that the student had had other papers written for him. He simply wanted the best product possible, and hiring a writer was how that was achieved in his country -- it was expected.

Example 2:
As a freelance writer, one is often hired to take source documents and to compose them in to a report for an organization. When the source documents are primary sources from the organization, the writer is usually not expected to say which spread sheet, memo, etc. that the ideas came from, and this is not considered plagiarism. When incorporating ideas from sources outside the organization, of course, the writer must give credit. The writing becomes the property of the hiring organization; it is not the writer’s, though the writer may or may not be given credit. Thus, when the organization uses or distributes the compiled information, using sentences-for-hire, it is not plagiarism.

Example 3:
Instructional consultants at the Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology, at UWT, are often asked to talk about plagiarism with students in disciplines where public domain inconstantly in flux, e.g. the Institute of Technology computer programming classes.  What constitutes plagiarism in writing may or may not be plagiarism in programming.

Example 4:
As a teacher of composition and research writing, it is one’s job to teach students the ethics of writing in a US institution of higher education.

2) We need administrative support, clearly and unequivocally, before and when plagiarism becomes an issue. Syllabi have grown from one page and a calendar to numerous pages, in part, to protect ourselves from the ubiquitous question, "Did you state that in your syllabus?"
Keep a log, when any infringement upon academic integrity occurs, to facilitate administrative support.

3) Research and documentation are learned skills, congruent with experience and cognitive and ethical development.

Example 1:
6th graders often cut and paste from encyclopedias for a research paper and receive 'A's.

Example 2:
Freshman and sophomores in college have often not been introduced to the idea that using another's ideas, in one's own words, as plagiarism in the US higher education system.

4) Writing etiquette, formulas, and conventions must be distinguished from plagiarism.

Example 1:
The 5 paragraph essay. (Methodology, outside of composition, may in fact constitute plagiarism when used.)

Example 2:
The literature review opening with, "A literature review was conducted using x, y, and z databases..." The opening "a literature review was conducted using" is not plagiarism, but rather a convention.

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