henley staff guide to using turnitin to aid identifying...

Henley Marking Guide to Academic Misconduct and When to use Turnitin Originality Reports

OverviewThis guide is the outcome of a TLDF project. It draws on a number of existing guides as well as input from Henley DoS’, the Henley SDTL and feedback from pilot User workshops.

The aim of this guide to is a) Outline the key definitions of what constitutes Plagiarism, Poor Academic Practice and

Academic Misconduct b) Outline the roles different staff have with regard to marking and assessment feedbackc) Outline what the consequences and processes are as these are also made explicit to

students d) Provide advice and examples to markers on consistent marking and feedback practice, what

to be vigilant for, and when and how to use Turnitin Originality Reports e) Help markers ensure that their marking is not biased or over subjectivef) Illustrate what constitutes Poor Academic Practice

Overview............................................................................................................................................1

Section I: Definition and roles................................................................................................................2

1.1 Definitions...................................................................................................................................2

a) Academic Misconduct............................................................................................................2

b) Plagiarism..............................................................................................................................2

c. Poor Practice..........................................................................................................................3

1.2 Roles............................................................................................................................................3

a. Admin team...............................................................................................................................3

b. Module Convenor......................................................................................................................3

c. Markers..................................................................................................................................4

Section II: Penalties...............................................................................................................................4

Section III: Before using Turnitin............................................................................................................5

Section IV: When to use Turnitin..........................................................................................................6

4.1 FAQs............................................................................................................................................6

4.2 Tips..............................................................................................................................................7

4.3 Dealing with Matches..................................................................................................................8

4.2 What Turnitin does not detect.....................................................................................................8

Section V: Other issues, advice and examples.......................................................................................9

Appendix 1: Cheating in assessed coursework....................................................................................11

Appendix 2: Cheating in groupwork....................................................................................................12

Appendix 3 Cheating & other academic misconduct in written exams................................................13

Appendix 4: Case Studies.....................................................................................................................14

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Section I: Definition and roles

1.1 DefinitionsThese definitions are drawn from the Examinations and Assessment Handbook, S19 (September 2015 -2016), the Academic Misconduct student page, and the current Good Academic Practice Guide and test offered to almost all Henley students as a precursor or part of their first module on a programme.

a) Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct covers all kinds of academic dishonesty and is described by The University of Reading as follows:"Cheating, which is the attempt to gain an advantage for oneself or another by deceit, and other misconduct, are breaches of discipline under the University's Regulations for Conduct 19, and are punishable by a range of sanctions".

As such cheating includes

Cheating in assessed coursework Cheating and other academic misconduct in written examinations Other academic misconduct in written examinations

Common forms of Academic Misconduct include

Plagiarism To use another person's idea or a part of their work and pretend that it is your own.

Collusion Agreement between people to act together secretly or illegally in order to deceive or cheat someone. Collusion occurs whena. two or more students consciously work together in the preparation

and production of work which is ultimately submitted by each to be their own individual work or

b. one student produces work and allows another student to copy it. If both students submit the work, BOTH students will be deemed to have colluded.

Falsification of Results

Falsification is the practice of omitting or altering research data in such a way that the results are no longer accurately reflected in your research record (your project or thesis).

Fabrication of Results

Fabrication is the practice of inventing data or results and recording and/or reporting them in your research record (your project or thesis for example).

b) Plagiarism

"Plagiarism plagiarism, n. The action or practice of taking someone else's work, idea, etc., and passing it off as one's own; literary theft."

Plagiarism is presenting the ideas (thoughts), work or words of other people without proper, clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. It also includes 'self-plagiarism' which occurs where, for example, students submit work that they have presented for assessment on a previous occasion, and the submission of material from 'essay banks' (even if the authors of such material appear to be

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http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/exams/Policies/exa-misconduct.aspx

http://www.reading.ac.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=62504&sID=225605


giving you permission to use it in this way). Obviously, the most blatant example of plagiarism would be to copy another student's work. Hence it is essential for students to make it clear in their work the distinction between: the ideas and work of other people that they may have quite legitimately used, and the ideas or material that they have personally contributed.

Where dealing with plagiarism, markers should know i. what forms these can take

ii. what penalties are for Academic Misconductiii. what advice to give students and where to point them to

c. Poor Practice

Plagiarism requires intention (deliberate cheating) so if this is not suspected or established, then work can be marked down for poor academic practice.

Where dealing with poor academic, first markers should i. Identify poor practice and ask Programme Admin to note it in student file on RISIS *so

there is evidence of a precedentii. Advise students in feedback so can learn

iii. Use advice as evidence students advised /’warned’ *iv. Mark lower so fair to other students v. NOT apply a penalty

1.2 Roles

a. Admin team

The programme admin teams represent the front line and so should be able to explain what key terms mean and point students to where help can be obtained ( e.g. the library and study advisors

They are NOT responsible for identifying or advising on poor practice, plagiarism etc.

They do however make note in RISIS when poor academic practice warning is made as this is NOT referred to DoS

b. Module Convenor

The Module Convenor has overall responsibility for the module and can be the course Moderator where others mark the coursework. They will advise and support their markers pass on possible cases of plagiarism and academic misconduct flagged up by first markers to the

DoS who will interview the student(s) NOT impose penalties for plagiarism or academic misconduct

c. Markers

Markers need to be vigilant as they are responsible for spotting plagiarism and / or academic misconduct with coursework (including projects, dissertations, PhDs). We advise that markers should:

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Mark first before looking at Turnitin Check Turnitin if suspect plagiarism Copy a chunk of the essay and check it in Google Scholar

Whenever a marker identifies or suspects plagiarism or academic misconduct, they should Tell their DoS and NOT return coursework or mark to student NOT impose penalties for plagiarism or academic misconduct

It is up to the DoS to impose penalties and not the module convenor or marker.

NOTE: New markers are not responsible for correcting poor practice alone as will get guidance on what to look for and what role constitutes. In particular they should:

Identify the tricks student use to avoid word counts ( tables / pictures of text) First get a feel for essays as presented Check Turnitin after marking or if suspect something Not penalise plagiarism etc. – that is role of DoS If suspect plagiarism – refer essay + mark +feedback to Module Convenor > DoS > SDTL

Section II: Penalties

All staff should know what the penalties are, what advice to give students, and where / who to point them to

penalty, n. A punishment imposed for breach of a law, rule, or contract; a loss or disadvantage of some kind.

‘It must be emphasised that the most serious view is taken within the University of cheating and other academic misconduct, whether in written examinations or coursework. Any such case will be treated as a disciplinary matter and will be referred to the School Director of Teaching and Learning (in respect of students registered on taught programmes) or the School Director of Postgraduate Research (in respect of students registered on research programmes) who may impose a penalty or refer the matter to the relevant Teaching and Learning Dean, who has powers to impose more severe penalties. In the most serious cases, the Teaching and Learning Dean will refer the matter to the Senate Standing Committee on Academic Misconduct (SCAM), which may lead to a student being failed in all assessments for the relevant Part of their programme or being removed from membership of the University

In many cases the student concerned is given a date to attend a form of tribunal within the School. At this tribunal the case of academic misconduct is discussed and the student is given the opportunity to defend themselves. If the student is found guilty, the tribunal panel apply an appropriate penalty. The list of possible penalties include:

a) recorded mark of zero for the assessed work in which misconduct occurred;b) recorded mark of zero for the course unit(s) in which the misconduct occurred;c) recorded mark of zero for all examination papers and other assessed work taken during the

particular examination period in which misconduct occurred;d) reduced class of degree by one or more classes from that which would have been awarded

based on the students’ academic progress or to award a lesser qualification

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e) expulsion from the University.

Key penalties fall into 4 categories: Gross Academic Misconduct (penalty: removal form University with no eligibility for lesser

award) Major Academic Misconduct (penalty: failure of Part with marks of zero in all modules, but

retain eligibility to resit with capped mark) Significant Academic Misconduct (penalty: Fail specified module/ assessments extending

beyond those in which misconduct took place with or without right to resit OR Fail module / assessment in which misconduct took place without right to resit)

Minor academic misconduct (penalty: Fail module in which misconduct took place with right to resit with capped mark. OR Fail assessment in which misconduct took place with right to resit with capped mark. OR Reduced mark of assessment in which misconduct took place. Or Admonition.

Ignorance is no defence but penalties can be mitigated (cultural differences, extenuating circumstances)’.

You can read the complete University statement on how cases of academic malpractice are handled, what penalties are, mitigating circumstances etc. in sections 19.3 and 19.4 at http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/EAH_1516_19_academic_misconduct.pdf and Scale of penalties at http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/EAH_1516_19B_scale_of_penalties.pdf

Section III: Before using Turnitin

When marking assignments, first markers should just mark what is presented and look for

What to look for Examples (+ Comments)Change in tense Please provide examples

Click here to enter text.


Change in language use, tone Please provide examplesClick here to enter text.


Change in font colour, size, type Please provide examplesClick here to enter text.


What to look for Examples (+ Comments)Different styles of re US v UK English Click here to enter text.


Information out of context Where a student didn’t update the plagiarised info to

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http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/EAH_1516_19B_scale_of_penalties.pdf

http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/exams/EAH_1516_19_academic_misconduct.pdf


the subject of their assignment. I.E. the student plagiarised the personal development plan from a company and presented it as its own with company info still in the text or with incorrect sector information



Poor transitioning Click here to enter text.


Poor or no referencing (just referencing quotes is not enough as = plagiarism)



Change in font colour, size etc. Click here to enter text.


Academic v standard English Click here to enter text.


Provide information related to topic but fails to answer question as set



Add something to look for Click here to enter text.






Remember, plagiarism must be intentional and can be of thoughts and words and include issues falsification of data, group / self-plagiarism etc.

Section IV: When to use Turnitin

Use of Turnitin is covered in s15.7 of Exams and Assessment Procedures Handbook. However, you need to be careful when do use Turnitin as it is only a text matching tool.

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http://www.reading.ac.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=62499&sID=225605


Best advice is to go with your gut feeling and remember your DUTY of VIGILANCE.

It is the marker’s responsibility to identify and deal with poor academic practice (including liaising with Programme Administrators who will add warnings to RISIS). If as a marker you identify minor offences (i.e. poor academic practice) then blackout text to be ignored as you mark. If you identify potential plagiarism or misconduct then you must refer it to your DoS.

4.1 FAQs

Question AdviceWhen should I look at Turnitin? After you complete marking and where you suspect poor

practice or plagiarism

What % should I identify to look at Turnitin report?

You should always mark first as any or no % is relevant. There is no ideal percentage to look for. Students’ work is

bound to contain some words from other sources. The percentage will vary depending on the type and length of assignment and the requirements of the work involved.

You should be more suspicious of low or 0 % returns

Should I ignore a 0% return? NO – as 0% should not occur Blue simply indicates that no text has been matched. This

could mean that the work has no references at all and that there is little or no use of direct quotes. Depending on the nature of the assignment this is not necessarily an issue but a blue score is always worth checking just in case the student has simply submitted a paper with text that Turnitin cannot recognise.

Should I still check Turnitin if there is a high % return?

YES - look for Over reliance on direct quotation as a result of poor

academic writing. Cutting and pasting from other sources. A 100% match means the assignment has no original work.

It has most probably been submitted previously to Turnitin. It could be a student error or indicate collusion or copying an essay from another student.

Add more questions Click here to enter text.







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4.2 Tips

When looking at the Originality Report in Turnitin:a) Look at % and get overall feelb) Look at list of sourcesc) If 3000 word essay - if 10% match from internet then must checkd) If bad sources – be concernede) If student essay – look at whole cohort as may be using same essay writing service

Remember, Turnitin does not determine if work is plagiarised. That decision is one of academic judgment by the marker. The Originality Report merely identifies sources of matched text.

Look at Look for Examples (+ Comments)Nos and quality of internet resources

Dodgy internet sources e.g. writemyessay.com etc. (get a list?)

Over reliance on incorrect or poor secondary sources

High % from one source only (vs 1% from say 20 different sources = 20% total)



Chunks / pages all of one colour

Suggestive of copy and paste



Large chunks of copied text

Whole paragraph? When 1 or several paragraphs have been copied

Lots of sentences within paragraphs that are not referenced fully

Quotations not referenced



Type of source breakdown

Internet / Publications / student papers



When references are at the end of the essay, but not in the text

This is not necessarily plagiarism but poor referencing.



Add more things to look at

Add more things to look for Click here to enter text.


Look at Look for Examples (+ Comments) Add more things to look at



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Add more things to look at



General comments

If background information such as a company profile is copied from the company website - not as big a problem as having the essay conclusion plagiarised from another source. The latter is expected to attract a larger penalty.

4.3 Dealing with Matches

Acceptable matches Advice Examples ( + comments) Quotations: Properly referenced

quotations can be ignoredClick here to enter text.


References and Bibliography: Other students will have used the same references at some point



Matching formats e.g. the same essay title Click here to enter text.


Small matches Small matches that form common phrases in a sentence or subject terminology (these can be filtered out in Turnitin if necessary)



4.2 What Turnitin does not detect.

You should not just rely on Turnitin because a) It will not detect everything b) It can miss things because <1%sc) It may not have all the journals etc. you use in the database

So bear in mind what it will not detect in the table below and - Also use Google Scholar etc. - Look at the work submitted as evidence in the paragraph etc., copy and pasting where do not

cite literature copied it etc.

What Examples (+ Comments)- Citation omitted from

references Click here to enter text.


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- Secondary source plagiarised

Some sources are themselves plagiarised versions of other’s work (for example when students cite magazines /newspaper/ government reports) these might not be the primary source of informationClick here to enter text.


- Pasting in a picture of text: Elements of text included in an image is not detected by Turnitin, likewise with PowerPoint imagesClick here to enter text.


- Pasting in a table or graph with no reference



- Images, drawings, diagrams or plans;


Click here to enter text.- Translated foreign language

works Click here to enter text.

Click here to enter text.- Print books and journals Click here to enter text.

Click here to enter text.- Password protected

content on websitesClick here to enter text.

Click here to enter text.Please provide more What items


Click here to enter text. Please provide more What items







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Section V: Other issues, advice and examples

Please see the Appendices for more examples and commentary on things to consider during the marking process.

Appendix 1: Cheating in assessed coursework Appendix 2: Cheating in group work Appendix 3: Cheating and other academic misconduct in written exams Appendix 4: Case Studies

CQSD also offer these guides as well as training workshops

Staff Guide – How to view an Originality Report Staff Guide – How to interpret an Originality Report Sign up for a TEL workshop

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Instructions

Please add to the listed appendices

examples, thoughts and comments re suspicions that turned out right and how got there

e.g. a narrative re particular examples

e.g. extracts of example and commentary etc.

You can type in contributions or add/ send in a video/ audio recording to (email)

http://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/TandLEvents/cqsd-ComingSoon.aspx

https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/institution/Services/CQSD/TEL/Guides/Staff/A%20staff%20guide%20to%20interpreting%20the%20Originality%20Report%20in%20Turnitin.pdf

https://www.bb.reading.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/institution/Services/CQSD/TEL/Guides/Staff/A%20staff%20guide%20to%20viewing%20the%20Originality%20Report%20in%20Turnitin.pdf


Appendix 1: Cheating in assessed courseworkAdd advice and examples

Plagiarism - Minor mis-referencing- Copy and paste with

no references-





Own work assessed elsewhere

must reference it as own work; poor practice if lifting paragraphs and not ref it as own workClick here to enter text.




Collusion- Assisting another

– informally or otherwiseClick here to enter text.




Falsification of Results Click here to enter text.



Click here to enter text.Fabrication of Results Click here to enter text.




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Appendix 2: Cheating in groupwork

Add topic, advice and examples

item advice exampleClick here to enter text.













Click here to enter text.Click here to enter text.



















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Appendix 3 Cheating & other academic misconduct in written exams

Add advice and examples

item advice exampleDevices especially mobile phones: An

offence to have in possession auto ref to SDTL/ SCAM = 0 grade and right to resit






Notes etc. Click here to enter text.




Click here to enter text.Copying Click here to enter text.




Click here to enter text.Improperly aiding Click here to enter text.




Click here to enter text.Impersonating Click here to enter text.




Click here to enter text.memorising / group learning

Offender may say based on group presentation so may =warning

If memorise someone else’s work then not own
















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Appendix 4: Case Studies

Provide sample texts/ extracts + narrative or commentary to the example













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