Advice on Dealing with Plagiarism
The effective prevention of plagiarism can make detection unnecessary. Teachers can reduce the temptation and
ability of their students to plagiarize in several constructive ways. For example, assign specific writing
projects not likely to be found on online paper mills. Incorporate research into the assignment itself by
requiring students to keep a log of their research and to include a research portfolio with their final drafts.
Not only will the likelihood of plagiarism decrease, but students will gain a greater awareness of their own
research habits and how those habits effect their writing.
- George Mason University's Definition of Plagiarism
- Here is the definition that GMU's
Honor Committee uses to determine instances of plagiarism.
- "In Preventing Plagiarism, an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure"
- Preventing plagiarism can be a lot less stressful than trying to prosecute it. For help with designing
assignments that resist plagiarism, read this chart created by Mason's
Director of Composition Shelley Reid, which you'll also find as an insert in the
Spring 2005 W@C newsletter.
- George Mason University's New Century College Statement on Academic Honesty and Collaboration
- NCC students are expected to meet these standards of academic honesty.
- Turnitin at Mason: Plagiarism Resources and Online Tutorials
- A compendium of links compiled by
GMU's Instructional Resource Center, including library resources, online guides to university policies regarding
plagiarism, and a series of tutorials and other resources from other institutions available online.
- "Plagiarism Across the Curriculum: How Academic Communities Can Meet the Challenge of the Undocumented Writer"
- Treating plagiarism as a social phenomenon as well as an academic one,
this article—from the Across the
Disciplines section of the WAC Clearinghouse website--addresses the ways in which students are indoctrinated
into different discourse communities. It also sheds light on the assumptions faculty might hold regarding a student's
understanding of what it means to plagiarize.
- The Library at the University of North Caroline, Charlotte.
- A thorough compendium
of links to sites dealing with plagiarism prevention, detection, and general information.
- Advice from Indiana University on Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism
- This web page pays special
attention to and provides helpful examples of concepts such as paraphrasing and common knowledge.
- Tips for Prevention from the University of Delaware
- This PDF document suggests a
step-by-step method that teachers can use to help their students avoid plagiarism—from syllabus to
assignment to grading.
- Washington State University Plagiarism Site
- In addition to strategies for detecting and helping students avoid plagiarism,
this site also includes pieces
on the history of intellectual property and on the concept of plagiarism from differing cultural perspectives.
- Bedford/St. Martin's Workshop on Plagiarism
- A workshop focusing
on using online course tools. Also contains useful links on plagiarism.
- Bedford/St. Martin's "Thinking About Plagiarism"
- Further discussion
and a number of links to plagiarism resources.
- IEEE Guidelines for Handling Plagiarism complaints
- In response to a growing number of allegations concerning plagiarized content, the IEEE, "the world's leading
professional association for the advancement of technology," has
compiled a set of guidelines
for handling allegations of plagiarism.