Avoiding Plagiarism

True or False:

In your classroom, you allow students to turn in work that is not

their own.

What is plagiarism?

http://kac-tutor.co.uk/plagiar/plag.gif

•Plagiarism-n. •1: a piece of writing that has been copied from someone else and is presented as being your own work (this includes work completed with the assistance of textbooks, published works, illustrations, the Internet, and databases.)

•2: the act of plagiarizing; taking someone’s words or ideas as if they were your own [syn: plagiarization, plagiarisation, piracy] (Dictionary.com)

Plagiarism Policy: HHS Student Handbook

• Plagiarism: The work of a student reflects directly on his/her own character. When submitting any assignment, the expectation is that students hand in work that has been completed individually. The HHS community prides itself on an honor code when completing an assignment. Colleges and other professional settings value honesty in work; character is integral to your future success. Incidents of plagiarism will result in a grade penalty, parent contact, and/or guidance/administrative referral.

• Paraphrasing and quotations are acceptable forms of research when properly documenting sources. Moreover, students should observe the following: 1) completely rewrite the passage using your own carefully composed sentence structure, and 2) use quotation marks around any words or phrases that are taken directly from the source.

Why do you assign “projects”? (paper, poster, Power Point, etc.)

• To teach the process of research

• To teach about a topic

• To teach presentation tools

• To highlight different learning styles

• To make the topic more interesting

Why do students plagiarize?

• Never taught otherwise

• Low literacy—inability to synthesize info.

• Laziness

• Fear of failure

• Culture

How can teachers avoid the headache of plagiarism?

• Know objectives of assignment• Require Works Cited page (

http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/hhs/site/default.asp)

• Vary research tools

• Focus on process of research• Catch it early (http://turnitin.com/static/training.html)

• Know citation formats (MLA, APA)

What support is available to you?Seek assistance from the…• Media Specialists

• Reading Specialist

• English Department

If your objective is…• To teach about any

topic:• To teach how to pull

out important reading:• To teach the process of

research:

While you may not want to teach the research process, you don’t want to

teach bad habits!

What to do about plagiarism?• Use resources (colleagues, web, etc.)

• Be consistent (maintain high standards)

• Follow disciplinary action:

1) Address student w/consequences*

2) Document, call home

3) Submit names to Dept Chairs (End of MP)

4) Chairs submit repeat offenders to administration (End of MP)

Plagiarism Resources

• PowerPoint

• Plagiarism Handout

• Plagiarism Article

• Thurs, Mar. 22nd 7:45 am Lab 400