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Advance Online Version Volume
3, 2008
Papers
and Perspectives
(Adobe reader required for full
text of articles--download here)
Honesty, Integrity, and Plagiarism: The Role of Student
Values in Prevention
Jean Liddell and Valerie Fong
Plagiary 2008 3(1): 1-5 (21 January 2021)
Abstract
Campus plagiarism policies often focus on detection and punishment.
One alternative is to foster student-centered cultures of honesty,
for example through honor codes. Such an approach requires a
shift in perceptions with respect to the problem, the institution,
and students' own responsibilities within the learning environment.
Curing the Cold but Killing the Patient? Turnitin.com,
Online Paper Mills, and the Outsourcing of Academic Work
John Regan
Plagiary 2008 3(2): 1-11 (25 February 2021)
Abstract
During the last decade, Turnitin.com has become the most
prominent text matching service and the first choice of
most colleges and universities who seek a technological
approach to detecting student plagiarism. Turnitin’s
rise parallels a significant shift in a business that would
seem to be one of its primary targets —the online
term paper mill industry. Online paper mills have significantly
changed in the last few years, evolving into professionally
designed sites touting custom writing services. This evolution
reflects the industry’s reaction to the pervasive
use of Turnitin and its perceived effectiveness in detecting
student plagiarism; moreover, the industry’s new rhetorical
focus on outsourcing positions custom writing services as
a potentially powerful temptation to student learners. Custom
writing services simultaneously extol the virtues of outsourcing
one’s academic work while warning against outsourcing
that same work to foreign entities, a powerful rhetorical
combination that both plays into the benefits of outsourcing
for consumers and also targets--in pejorative tone--the
mainstream fears of overseas outsourcing in general. While
the submission of custom essays may never amount to more
than a fraction of academic misconduct cases, we may also
be at the beginning of a powerful trend towards the outsourcing
of academic work.
Electronic Plagiarism Detection Services: A Learning
Tool or a Quick Fix?
E. Joel Heikes and John Kucsera
Plagiary 2008 3(3): 1-18 (29 April 2020)
Abstract
With the advent of nearly universal Internet access and
the upsurge of paper mills, universities and colleges are
scrambling to find effective solutions to the rise of plagiary
on campus. Some colleges and universities are implementing
electronic plagiarism detection services. The two main rationales
for using these devices are to deter and detect plagiarism
as well as teach students proper writing and citation techniques
(Martin, 2004). However, research has yet to determine if
the student learning function of these tools is present.
The purpose of the study was to assess if one electronic
plagiarism prevention device, Turnitin, is being used to
teach students proper writing and citation techniques or
solely to deter and detect plagiarism. Our results showed
that although instructors and students found the tool easy
to use and believed it reduced plagiarism, students reported
receiving little instructional value related to their writing.
As a result, it appears that when detection services are
introduced within college classrooms, instructors may use
these tools mainly to detect and deter plagiarism rather
than to teach students how to avoid plagiarism. We believe
this challenge can be addressed by teaching instructors
and students how to incorporate detection services into
the writing process.
A Pilot Study Examining Rational Choice and Techniques
of Neutralization as Explanatory Theories for the Crime
of FEMA Benefit Fraud
Kelly Frailing
Plagiary 2008 3(4): 1-9 (21 May 2020)
Abstract
This pilot study examines the reliability of a Likert
scale survey designed to determine the strengths of rational
choice (RC) and techniques of neutralization (TN) theories
in explaining FEMA benefit fraud following Hurricane Katrina.
The reliability of RC and TN items were analyzed for all
participants, for those who had received FEMA money and
those who had not. It was hypothesized that whichever
theory had more reliable items was the better explanatory
theory for the crime of FEMA fraud after Katrina. Rational
choice items were generally more reliable than techniques
of neutralization items, allowing the tentative conclusion
that rational choice shows greater utility in explaining
FEMA benefit fraud. As a theory, it provides useful tools
for fraud prevention.
Analyzing Alleged Plagiarism in Nineteenth-Century
Literature: A Case Study of Ellen G. White’s The
Desire of Ages
David J. Conklin, Jerry Moon, and Kevin Morgan
Plagiary 2008 3(5): 1-29 (25 July 2020)
Abstract
This paper proposes a method of determining whether the
literary practice of a nineteenth-century author exceeded
the generally accepted norms of literary borrowing for
that same period of writing. The method takes as its case
study one chapter from Ellen G. White’s Desire of
Ages which, of all her works, has received the most extensive
investigation regarding alleged plagiarism, and compares
it to the corresponding chapters of 47 other works of
the same genre and century, using the computerized literary
tool WCopyfind to locate parallel phrases between the
various works. These parallels are then evaluated for
strength and frequency. Study results indicate that un-attributed
borrowing of phraseology was rather common, and even considered
to be more acceptable among the nineteenth-century authors
of this genre than would be acceptable in the twentieth
and twenty-first centuries. The minimal borrowing by Ellen
G. White in this chapter was within the acceptable standards
of that era.
[download advance online copy] 
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Why My Students Don't Plagiarise: A Case Study
George MacDonald Ross
Plagiary 2008 3(6): 1-11 (25 August 2020)
Abstract
I teach the history of philosophy, and over the years I have
evolved methods of teaching and assessment which mean that
my students do not plagiarise. Although this case study describes
methods specific to a module on Kant’s Critique
of Pure Reason, most of what I do is generalisable to
other disciplines, especially those in which knowledge claims
are contestable. . .
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At a Crossroads from Shallow to Sophisticated Knowledge:
Online Instructional Design Facilitating ESL Students' Conceptuatlizations
of Plagiarism
Sangkyung Kim
Plagiary 2008 3(7): 1-17 (17 September 2020)
Abstract
Plagiarism has hardly disappeared in the dialogue throughout
higher education in the Western academic community. The inherent
complexity of plagiarism, the inadequacy of instruction, and
the intimidating punitive policies of teachers are all obstacles
preventing students from understanding plagiarism. Inexperienced
English as a Second Language (ESL) students perceive the concept
of plagiarism as an abstract and ambiguous aspect, and it
interferes with their education as writers. To facilitate
students’ conceptualizations of plagiarism, this action
research explored the effectiveness of an online instructional
module consisting of problem-based learning, group chat, awareness
raising, and metacognitive reflection. Using a quantified
qualitative data analysis of citations in students’
papers, and transcripts of chat and online posts, this study
found that students became more analytical about their own
citation practices and were able to determine where they missed
sources of citations. Students learned the ethical value of
and responsibility for legitimate use of others’ work,
and shifted from writer-based to reader-based perspectives
while engaging in their tasks. Also discussed are the implications
in designing instruction in a supportive online community,
and in making abstract knowledge explicit.
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Authorship as Understood by Postgraduates in
the University of Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study
Yvonne C. W. Loong
Plagiary 2008 3(8): 1-8 (19 October 2020)
Abstract
The present research represents an initial attempt at
exploring postgraduate students’ views on authorship
and plagiarism at the University of Hong Kong. Specifically,
the study aimed to explore students’ perceptions
of difficulties involved in establishing their authorship
in academic writing in English, which is not the first
language for most of them. Using both questionnaires and
focus-group interviews, factors such as students’
language competence, understanding of plagiarism and prior
learning experience were examined. The results provided
a better and more holistic understanding regarding the
formation of the understanding of authorship in academic
writing. Implications for pedagogic practice and provision
of further support and guidance for postgraduates by the
university are discussed.
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Academic Dishonesty in Online Learning Communities
Andrew S. Borchers, William R. Livingston, and Michael Peters
Plagiary 2008 3(9): 1-9 (5 December 2020)
Abstract
Legal, professional, and academic communities have noted
the problem of academic dishonesty in undergraduate and
graduate education for years. Educational leaders and business
ethicists are increasingly interested in the interplay between
the change in cultural values and the growth of academic
dishonesty. This article presents a discussion of the scope
of academic dishonesty in business colleges and universities
and problems with enforcement of honor code policies, along
with proposals for addressing academic dishonesty in an
online environment.
The full text of all papers and perspectives
articles will be made available through the University of Michigan's
Scholarly Publishing Office in structured electronic text format.
Links to advance online versions of these articles appear after
the abstracts above. Hardcopy annual version will be published
at the end of each calendar year. The views, opinions, and research
results in these "Papers and Perspectives" articles
are those of the respective authors who assume
full responsibility for their article content per the Plagiary
submissions guidelines. Responses
and critiques relating to these "Papers and Perspectives"
may be sent to the Editor. Authors will be given an opportunity
to reply prior to publication of any responses/critiques.
Paper proposals and manuscripts accepted for publications
consideration on an ongoing basis.
Plagiary represents a wide range of research
topics which address general and specific issues relating to plagiarism,
fabrication, and falsification. Devoted specifically to the scholarly,
cross-disciplinary study of plagiary and related behaviors across
genres of communication, Plagiary features research articles
and reports on discipline-specific misconduct, case studies (historical
and modern; inter-/intra-lingual), legal issues, literary traditions
and conceptualizations, popular genres of discourse, detection
and prevention, pedagogy (cheating & academic integrity),
technical reports on related phenomena, and other topics of clear
relevance (parody, pastiche, mimicry) along with book reviews
and responses to published articles.
See the "Information for Authors"
page for further details.
Send queries to the Editor of Plagiary
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