Prevention
Ensure students know about proper source use.
- Contact Van Pelt (Nick Okrent) for class session on bibliographic searches.
- Discuss sources, source use, peer reviewed sources
- Be clear about whether students may or must use outside sources.
- Ex: "No other sources should be needed; however, if you wish to consult other sources and use them in your essay, be sure to include references, and you must first receive approval from me."
- Include on syllabus recommended texts that discuss use of sources. Ex: Gordon Harvey, Writing With Sources: A Guide for Students (Hackett, 1998), List Price: $5.45.
Ensure penalties are clear.
- Include statement on syllabus and each assignment.
- Ex: "Academic honesty is fundamental to our community. The Pennbook contains our Code of Academic Integrity. A violation of that Code in this course will result in failure for the course."
Other preventive measures:
- Assign specific topics.
- Change topics and readings often.
- For longer assignments: due dates during term for proposal; bibliography; draft.
- Oral presentations for term papers.
- References on syllabus and assignments prevent pleas of ignorance later and strengthen any case that you submit to the Office of Student Conduct.
Detection
- Software (requires electronic submission of student papers)
- Eve2
- Turnitin.com
- Google a phrase (Google Scholar; Lycos)
- Your professional expertise
Enforcement
- Office of Student Conduct
- If you discover plagiarism in your class:
- Inform Dept Chair and/or Undergraduate Chair.
- Make copies of both the paper and the source(s) used.
- Contact OSC; submit file with all info: assignment, syllabus, paper, evidence.
- Contact student for appointment in your office.
- Listen to their explanation.
- Inform student that the matter is in the hands of the OSC.
- Allow student to attend class, turn in new assignments while case proceeds.
- Enforce your pre-stated penalties after verdict.
