Information for Librarians and Teachers

How to Track Plagiarism From the Web

Plagiarism has always been a problem, but the ability to simply copy and paste information from electronic sources has made the practice more common. Even students who have no intention of claiming the work of others as their own may find themselves inadvertently doing so.

What should make you suspect plagiarism? It may be the content is familiar, the fact that a student has turned in work that far exceeds his or her ability, or formatting and presentation that is unusual.

How can you prove plagiarism from the Web? You may have luck simply typing a suspicious phrase into a search engine. However, that will not work in every case.

There are paid services that claim to be able to detect Internet plagiarism and the reuse of papers sold over the Internet. These use a variety of techniques including digital fingerprints. Such services include:

Plagiarism.org
http://www.plagiarism.org

EVE2
http://www.canexus.com/eve/index.shtml

Glatt Plagiarism Services
http://www.plagiarism.com

You will also find many lists of sites that give advice on spotting plagiarism and dealing with offenders. Some good lists are cited below.

Finally, one way to get help is to appeal to a listserv. The school librarians on LM-Net http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ often find that another librarian will recognize a passage.

Resources

The E-Plagiarism Plague, by Gail Junion-Metz. School Library Journal, Sept. 2000, Vol. 46 Issue 9, p43. "Lost in Translation, Students Crib Free Help From Language Sites -- But Going Online Is Derailing Kids With Ms. Hamwey, Who Teaches Them Spanish." Wall Street Journal, 1/19/2001.

Plagiarism Stoppers: A Teacher's Guide
http://www.ncusd203.org/central/html/where/plagiarism_stoppers.html

Plagiarized.com: The Definitive Guide to Internet Plagiarism
http://www.plagiarized.com/index.html

Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call. By Ann Lathrop and Kathleen Foss. Libraries Unlimited, 2000, 1-56308-841-X. $30.

Your Work, or the Web's? Schools ramp up efforts to prevent Internet-based plagiarizing. Christian Science Monitor, 03/06/2001, Vol. 93, Issue 69, p17.

Teaching Young Students About Copyright

Copyright is a complex issue even for adults. Elementary and middle school students need to understand the basics of ownership of work and the importance of getting permission to reprint work and giving proper credit.

There a number of sites that present this information well.

Copyright with Cyberbee
http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.htm
This Web site is suitable for younger children and for students who like a visual presentation of facts.

Copyright Basics
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html
Copyright and fair use in the classroom, on the Internet, and the World Wide Web.

To brush up on your own knowledge, the following link may be helpful.

10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
This site provides useful information about copyright myths.