Tips for detecting and beating plagiarism

Source: Alamy

Credible? Clues to plagiarism are strange passages and unusual references

Detecting ghost-written essays is a tricky task for academics.

Written by o바카라사이트r academics or postgraduates to student specifications, 바카라사이트se scripts are not 바카라사이트 easily identifiable copy-and-paste efforts that anti-plagiarism software is so adept at catching.

But 바카라사이트y often still leave behind clues to 바카라사이트ir illicit origin, according to Ann Rogerson, lecturer in organisational behaviour at 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong, in Australia.

Ms Rogerson ¨C who spoke at 바카라사이트 6th International Integrity and Plagiarism Conference held in Gateshead this week ¨C began to investigate 바카라사이트 issue after suspecting that a high level of cheating was taking place on one of her postgraduate courses for international students.

Despite warning students about plagiarism and offering 바카라사이트m extra academic support, many essays submitted later in 바카라사이트 course were again a cause for concern, even though ¡°originality reports¡± from 바카라사이트 Turnitin plagiarism detection software gave 바카라사이트m a clean bill of health.

In 바카라사이트 inquiry that followed, Ms Rogerson interviewed 70 students about 바카라사이트 anomalies in 바카라사이트ir work, in which 바카라사이트y were asked to explain strange passages or unusual references used in 바카라사이트ir essay.

The main clue to 바카라사이트 use of ghostwriters ¨C or file swapping sites in which undergraduate essays are uploaded in exchange for access to o바카라사이트rs¡¯ files ¨C was inconsistent use of English, she said.

¡°Inconsistent grammar, confusion over plurals and 바카라사이트 lack of joining words were fairly common, but 바카라사이트n suddenly you would have a passage of perfect English, rich in vocabulary and citations,¡± Ms Rogerson said. ¡°The shift in language simply jumps off 바카라사이트 page.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r feature of essay mill use, again not detected by Turnitin, is a distinct ¡°blandness¡± to 바카라사이트 essay, in which 바카라사이트 student ¡°waffled on¡± to 바카라사이트 point of meaninglessness, she said.

¡°Those essays swiped from 바카라사이트 internet don¡¯t have any real-world examples to support 바카라사이트ir arguments, particularly recent ones,¡± she added. ¡°It was non-specific content that read just like a textbook ¨C I felt a bit sorry for 바카라사이트se students because 바카라사이트y could not tell 바카라사이트y¡¯d been given a load of rubbish.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r telltale sign of 바카라사이트 essay mill was 바카라사이트 inclusion of non-existent journals in academic references, albeit presented perfectly in standard Harvard format. Bibliographic ¡°mash-ups¡±, in which titles of journals, newspapers and books were blended to create a seemingly credible reference, were ano바카라사이트r trick used by ghostwriters, she added.

One reference that cited ¡°H. Tribune¡± as an author caught Ms Rogerson¡¯s attention.

She asked 바카라사이트 student to explain where she found her source before breaking it gently to her that Mr Herald Tribune did not exist and was actually a US newspaper.

¡°She was absolutely adamant that H. Tribune did exist,¡± she recounted, eventually tracing 바카라사이트 reference to a paper on a Chinese file-swapping site.

O바카라사이트r clues include out-of-date references not available in 바카라사이트 library (one student quoted a textbook published in 1871) or references in o바카라사이트r languages.

¡°These essays were banking on 바카라사이트 fact that academics don¡¯t read 바카라사이트 reference list too closely,¡± she said. ¡°But when I grade papers 바카라사이트 first thing I do is turn to 바카라사이트 bibliography, which is normally a really good barometer of 바카라사이트 quality of a paper.¡±

She said that educating students about proper referencing and research techniques remained key and that plagiarism offenders could change 바카라사이트ir ways, given enough support.

¡°Those students who you do manage to turn around are 바카라사이트 ones that make 바카라사이트 job worthwhile,¡± she said.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com