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Cyber-plagiarism: detection tools for faculty

Tools and techniques for tracking down work that has been borrowed.
  • Identify a unique string of words in the paper. Use different search engines. You should usually search for the phrase using quotes. A successful search will typically display very few results.
  • Search for the title, again using quotes. If the student hasn't changed the title, you may find it listed on a term paper site.
  • Search full-text databases: LexisNexis, Expanded Academic, or ScienceDirect. Change the default search method to “search article text”. Most databases default to citation searching
  • Utilize a plagiarism detection site, most charge a fee. An example is Turnitin by iParadigms. A free one may be found at a resource site by Lou Bloomfield at the University of Virginia.
  • This subject guide is available via the Library home page. It provides links to many resources for both preventing and detecting plagiarism.
Internet search engines:
  • Search phrases using advanced search options or quotes.
  • It is recommended that one search multiple search engines since they use different algorithms to scan the Web. A list is available from the library home page at http://library.auraria.edu/guides/general/searcheng.html. I would start with one favorite search engine and branch out if it does not find results.
  • Search Usenet groups separately.
  • Weblog or Blog searches: These can show up in a regular Web search or use a blog search engine: Blogdigger.
  • Internet translation through search engines: student can pull up an essay only available in French (for example), use the internet translation service to change it to English and copy the document.
PaperMills:

Cheating 101: Internet Paper Mills A list of paper mill sites.

There are many of these lists, one unusual one categorizes mills by subject:
Cheating 101: Internet Subject Specific Paper Mills.

example: Things fall apart essays for students writing essays on Chinua Achebe's novel

Library Databases:

Selected* (most commonly used) library databases that allow searching within article text:

  • Academic Search Premier Advanced search mode: select all fields double quotations marks, the exact phrase is searched.
  • One File Select bullet choice for full text. No quotes needed for phrases (ex. assessment w/2 schools).
  • JSTOR Full-text is the default.
  • LexisNexis Select full text in pull down.
  • ScienceDirect Select full text in pull down.

*Check specialized databases within your discipline for full-text searching. Many support this function.

Other References & Links:

What is Plagiarism? / Georgetown University Honor Council
Plagiarism: What it is and how to avoid it / Indiana University Writing Centers
Plagiarism and how to avoid it / David Gardner, University of Hong Kong
Plagiarism: Its nature and consequences / Duke Libraries
Suggestions to Prevent Cheating / Student Honor Council, University of Maryland
Preventing Academic Dishonesty and Designing Assignments / VAIL
Copy these strategies to stop plagiarism by students / Gary M. Galles
Detecting plagiarism / University of Alberta
Detection tools and methods / VAIL
Free detection / NCHS
Probing for Plagiarism in the Virtual Classroom / Lindsey S. Hamlin and William T. Ryan

Also view:

Copyright
arrow icon Copyright teaching resources
arrow icon Fair use for faculty
arrow icon Plagiarism
arrow icon Getting copyright clearance

 

 
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