Owens Library Strategies to Discourage Plagiarism

Formulate:

In-class writing assignments which can be compared to papers completed outside of class
Diaries of search paths used in locating information (Weisbard)

Incorporate:

A list of narrowly-defined, approved topics that changes each semester
A minimum number of several types of sources (two books, four articles, etc.)
Inclusion of information provided in class discussions and assigned readings
Interviews with experts
At least two sources from the most recent six months
Oral reports or one-on-one discussions of the paper
Checkpoints when students share their work to date
Follow-up in-class essays about what the students learned from their research (Harris)

Require:

A written thesis statement early in the research process
A description of the research process
Rough drafts
Annotated bibliographies
Copies of cited sources
Personal reflections on the subject (Fain)

Encourage:

Original thought in reaction to content

Thorough explanations of ideas

Problem solving or questioning behavior

Justification of conclusions

Incorporation of personal insights into the subject (McKenzie)

References

McKenzie, Jamie. "The New Plagiarism: Seven Antidotes to Prevent Highway Robbery in an Electronic Age" From Now On: The Educational Technology Journal 7.8 (1998): 30 Oct. 2003
<http://www.fno.org/may98/cov98may.html>.

Harris, Robert. Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers. 7 Mar. 2002. Virtual Salt. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm>.

Fain, Margaret. Cheating 101: Paper Mills and You--Easy Steps to Combating Plagiarism. 17 Sep. 2003.

Kimbel Library. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://www.coastal.edu/library/easystep.htm>.
Weisbard, Phyllis Holman. Cheating, Plagiarism (and Other Questionable Practices), The Internet, and Other Electronic Resources. 9 Apr. 2003. Libraries, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 30 Oct. 2003 <http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/plag.htm>.

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