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Plagiarism - You can do Something About it...

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Presentation on theme: "Plagiarism - You can do Something About it..."— Presentation transcript:

1 Plagiarism - You can do Something About it...
Wallace Library Copyright ©2000 Rochester Institute of Technology, Wallace Library Welcome to Wallace Library’s Copyright and Plagiarism tutorial. If you have not completed the short, Preliminary Exercise, please take a few minutes now to read through the three scenarios in the Exercise and check the answers that seem most appropriate. There may be more than one response to each, so check off as many as you feel fit the situation. Were you surprised at the correct answers in the Preliminary Exercise? In on-campus courses, it is rare if class participants get all the answers correct in the first two exercises. Let's continue with the tutorial…

2 Table of Contents Copyright: examples, proper use Fair Use
Plagiarism / Detection Paraphrasing exercise When in Doubt - Cite This online tutorial attempts to define some of the often-confusing terms associated with copyright. We will also be defining plagiarism and show you how to avoid it. This tutorial encompasses a class that is taught to students on-campus and is available to all students via the Web. There is also information for faculty on locating RIT policies, Tips for faculty, Creating effective library assignments, Why students plagiarize, Methods of detecting plagiarism and, a library-sponsored plagiarism detection service, Turnitin.

3 Copyright / Plagiarism Web site
Here is a screen shot and the URL of the Copyright and Plagiarism Web site that will be referred to throughout the presentation.

4 Copyright - set of laws “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings & discoveries." Article I, Section 8, U.S. Constitution (1789) [online] Oct : Note: Copyright protection extends to all forms of intellectual property and exists as soon as the work is put into a fixed form. Registration is not a requirement for copyright protection. Let’s define copyright. There are many definitions of copyright. This one is particularly good because it is the original definition and wording from the United States Constitution. The Constitution's authors' intention was to promote science and the arts to enrich our culture. By protecting inventors' and authors' rights to earn a living and receive credit through copyright laws, creative people would be willing to invent, write, and create works. U. S. Copyright Law is delineated in Title 17 of the U. S. Code, located on the Library's Copyright and Plagiarism Web site. Look now at the NOTE at the bottom of the screen. Two additional factors are mentioned here. Copyright protection begins as soon as a work is put into a fixed format. Registration is not required. Consider the first scenario in our preliminary exercise; the student is eligible for copyright protection, even though she has not officially registered the computer program, as it is in a fixed format. It may be hard to prove that her program existed prior to the thief’s version and legal suit would have to be made to establish rights. Having a right and being able to establish it could be difficult. Registration enables the creator to prove ownership.

5 What is Copyrightable? Any work original in its creation*
Includes: words, symbols, music, pictures, three-dimensional objects (or a combination of these)* Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. (1886). Website. [2000 June 5] What is copyrightable? According to the definition, it must be “original,” something unique or the first of its kind, and it must be in a tangible format. It can be a word, words, symbol, music, picture, three dimensional object or a combination. Note that the citation listed at the bottom of this screen refers to the original world copyright convention in Some of our intellectual property formats have expanded but they still fit within these broad guidelines. WIPO = World Intellectual Property Organization is an intergovernmental organization (Geneva, Swit.) part of U.N. system of organizations. It is responsible for the promotion of the protection of intellectual property throughout the world.

6 Specific Examples Books Journal / Magazine articles
Newspapers / Pamphlets Photographs / Graphics Audio / Video Music Web Sites / Databases / Software Company Logos / Trademarks Listed on this slide are examples of items that are copyrightable: books, articles, pamphlets, photographs, graphics, music, video, software and trademarks. It is irrelevant what length the item is or what form it takes. Purpose is not a factor; it can be for entertainment, education or profit, be fiction or non-fiction, published or unpublished. The important factors are originality and that the product is in a tangible form.

7 Proper use of Copyrighted Materials
Free Use / Public Domain By Permission / Open Permission Licensing Citing Item Fair Use The next set of terms deals with proper use of copyrighted items. By Permission refers to the right given by the creator for use of his / her work. It usually needs to be requested and given in writing. There is a link on the Copyright/Plagiarism Web to Request Permission including a sample letter. Permission often comes with specified restrictions. Open permission is a sign off policy related to specific use. Licensing is a way of making the user of material aware of who holds a copyright and what the use restrictions are for that material. A license can be a signed agreement or it can be agreed to by breaking the shrink-wrap on a product or clicking on an agreement screen before getting online access to materials. Citing the source or creator of a work is the proper method to use when incorporating graphics or words into your work. In using photographs or diagrams, written permission as well as a citation may be required if the use is for profit. Fair Use is a set of guidelines that provides exceptions to the exclusive rights of copyright holders. Before we look at Fair Use, let’s take a look at 2 terms associated with material that is not copyrighted, free use and public domain. Free use material is that which has unrestricted access and use. Some examples are open computer source code and government information. Open source code, such as the Linux operating system, was created to be universally used. Government information belongs to the public and is collected and disseminated for public use. Individuals often post information on the Web to make it available to everyone. However, just because something is on the WWW does not mean it is free to use or in the Public Domain. Since original work is automatically copyrighted, look to see if there is a permission to use statement. If none is available and it does not say it is free to use, then you need to assume that it is copyrighted and handle accordingly.

8 Public Domain Work published after copyright lasts for life of the author +70 years Works created prior to 1923 are in the public domain Copyright / Plagiarism Website has more specific information Fair Use... outside realm of Public domain Public domain material is that for which the copyright has expired. A few facts are listed on this page, but a more complete chart explaining the date restrictions of copyright is available on the Wallace Library's Copyright & Plagiarism Web pages under the link, Public Domain. A work published after 1977 is copyrighted for the life of the author plus 70 years. Works created prior to 1923 are in the public domain, so there is no need to contact the author / publisher / creator to use material in the public domain. It is still customary, however, to cite the work, giving the creator credit. Citing also provides a citation trail for researchers to follow when viewing bibliographies.

9 Fair Use 1. Purpose & Character of the Use - commercial or educational
2. Nature - creative or factual 3. Amount & Substantiality - portion used 4. Effect of the Use - on potential market Set of 4 guidelines that provide exceptions to the exclusive rights of copyright holders-gives guidance to anyone wishing to use copy-righted materials. Purpose is the foremost reason for an exception. Copyrighted material can be used for educational purposes under certain circumstances. An example of this is the ability to photocopy a page, an article or chapter of a book. One copy may be made for personal research use. Commercial use of material does not qualify as an exception. Any use resulting in profit for anyone other than the creator is unlawful. The nature of the work can also be an exception. Factual data, such as the weather or phonebook listings, may be used without permission. However, if that data is repackaged in a creative format, permission may be required. The more creative a work, the more narrow are the Fair Use parameters. The substance or portion of a work may be an exception. Again, an example of this is in the amount / type of use involved. Using a portion of a creative work may be acceptable, especially in the educational milieu, as long as the work cannot be viewed by the "world." If profit is a factor, the creator must be contacted for permission. If permission is not granted, no use. The last and most important of the exceptions, because it entails money and notoriety, refers to the effect of the use on the market by using a work. If the use of the material in any way effects the creator's potential market or credit to the creator, it is not allowed without permission. Always get permission in writing. Balancing rights of copyright owners with rights of the public for access to and use of works. Incentive to people to create limits creators’ rights to control works balance achieves copyright’s constitutional purpose When unsure of whether one’s use falls under Fair Use, ask yourself if your usage is within the 4 guidelines. password protection is necessary-electronic course reserve articles or using proprietary database images in a Web presentation-use must be restricted to a specific audience (1,2,3) Harper, Georgia. (1998). Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials. UT Austin Web site. [2000 October 31]

10 Copying Materials Serendipity Clause - article or part of book may be copied & distributed to students *one time only* Another example of Fair Use - in the classroom. A faculty member may make a copy for each student in the class ONLY if done serendipitously, ie. the use of the article / book chapter was not planned before the class commenced. An article may be made available electronically for a class to read, following Fair Use guidelines. However, the electronic article is password protected so that only the class (a finite group) has access, not the whole world. Wallace's E-Reserves is a good example of protecting intellectual property in an online environment.

11 Wallace Library Reserves
Articles removed after 4 quarters No course packs from databases Copied materials- complete citation & notice of copyright Password protection Faculty may post educational materials online by contacting Joy Marlin, or For more E-Reserve information, go to:

12 Plagiarism - act of copyright infringement
Using another person’s work improperly OR without giving credit - tantamount to stealing A fact must be common knowledge not to be cited Now that you have an understanding of copyright issues, let's take a look at plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copyright infringement, that is, using another person’s work without giving credit or obtaining permission. It is tantamount to stealing. In the Preliminary Exercise, you saw where each scenario's answers reflected a lack of credit to the creator. In those examples, the plagiarizers were attempting to sell another's work. The concept of common knowledge is an exception to giving citation credit. A commonly known fact does not need to be documented. The fact that George Washington crossed the Delaware during a battle in the Revolutionary War does not need to be documented. However, the description or interpretation given to that event by a particular author does need to be cited. Keep in mind the concept of value added. U.S. government data is not copyrighted and can be used without requesting permission or paying a royalty. A publication or database that interprets that data or adds explanations can be copyrighted. Government data is generally cited to provide authority, not because it is copyrighted.

13 Why do Students Plagiarize? - some common reasons -
Workload / School stress GPA Self Defense - everyone does it Ignorance poor citation-building skills lack of paraphrasing skills when / how to use quotations idea that everything on the WWW is common knowledge

14 Methods of Plagiarism lifting all or part(s) of another's work
adapting or incorrect paraphrasing (minor changes) paraphrasing without proper documentation misuse of quotations Plagiarism is done in various ways, some of which may be unintentional. People plagiarize by, lifting all or part of another’s work, incorrectly paraphrasing, paraphrasing without proper documentation and, misusing quotes. All of these methods are much easier today with electronic copy and paste features, online thesauri, term paper Web sites, and the wealth of information available. The most common pitfalls are incorrect paraphrasing and citing. Let’s now take a look at a document that demonstrates paraphrasing and summarizing. All of the above made easier electronically with "copy and paste” technology, term paper Websites, proliferation of information

15 The WWW Encourages Cheating
Ease of using and finding information: Choices - papers, articles, graphics Speed - easy and quick to find False Anonymity - no one will know Copy and paste syndrome - easy to patch together a paper...

16 RIT Policies - Where? The Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook
Institute Policies and Procedures Manual Wallace Library RIT intellectual property / copyright / plagiarism policies are located online. Click on the above links.

17 Tips for Faculty State policy and consequences
Explain - what is plagiarism Encourage consultations Faculty awareness of Web resources Specific paper requirements Read all papers on same topic together Examples of citations / formats Papers shorter than 6 pages Clearly state class (verbally & in syllabus) policy regarding academic dishonesty Encourage student paper/project consultations in person, , or by phone Faculty need to be aware of databases and Web sites in topical areas Specify citation formats, specific resources to be used in paper Papers shorter than 6 pages are usually not available at paper mill sites

18 Tips for Faculty cont’d
Drafts ask for multiple or rough create peer groups for comments Ask for: photocopies of source title pages annotated bibliography original copy of paper outlines Librarians are available for help By requiring additional verification of materials used, students are less apt to take the chance on getting caught cheating. Librarians are available for assistance in helping students locate authoritative and useful research materials for projects. They are also conversant in implementing citation styles.

19 Creating Effective Library Assignments
give specific topical areas capture students’ attention Topics limit with specific list very narrow scope current write written proposal Last minute change in topic - beware Topics Narrow scope - particular aspects of topic, not general or overview - make it m ore difficult for student to download paper Provide or encourage topics of interest to students Current - less apt to be available at paper mill site Written Proposal - about chosen topic - last minute changes can mean student is stressed and is looking for a quick paper to turn in.

20 Classes for Students & Faculty
Invite Librarian to class / BibLab Instruction - where? print copy at ref. desk online tutorial notification via weekly Librarians are willing to present the copyright / plagiarism class in your classroom or at the Library. Distance learners may be assigned or pointed to the online copyright/plagiarism at: Classes for faculty are listed on a print library class schedule at the reference desk, online at: and, sent via every week.

21 P Detecting Plagiarism Format different from requirements?
Odd sentences stuck into paper? Bibliographic citations poorly written? incomplete? missing? P Today there are a variety of methods used in detecting plagiarism. Faculty members are usually very knowledgeable on assigned topics and familiar with available sources. An assignment may be designed with specific requirements. If the project requirements are not fulfilled, such as a specific number and types of resources to be used, a unique format, reference annotations or a separate outline turned in earlier in the quarter, differences between the final paper and its requirements may send up red flags for investigation. There are also commercial and educational organizations developing paper-tracking systems to detect plagiarism. Wallace Library is working with RIT faculty to provide access to Turnitin.com. However, the Library prefers to instruct students on ways to avoid plagiarism by raising awareness of paraphrasing and citing methods, as in this tutorial. Copyright 2000 MarianneBuehler

22 Methods of Detection Faculty knowledge of
available sources - paper & online Unique assignments with specific requirements Working with department- chronic offenders? Websites available for detecting & tracking Faculty know literature/research in their field and sources related to the topics they assign. Chronic offenders-central file, communicating with other faculty, devising strategy to work with student……. Commercial & educational organizations are developing tracking devices Some Search Engines can do exact phrase searches Wallace Library working with faculty to test these services using Turnitin.com <

23 Service for Faculty Turnitin.com at: http://www.turnitin.com
Shirley Bower, Head, IDS Dept. - account admin. Library’s intention is to educate… Library would rather instruct students on strategies to avoid plagiarism, such as proper paraphrasing and citing and knowing what is copyrightable Shirley Bower is the account administrator for Wallace Library. She will get you set up with a faculty and student packet.

24 Turnitin.com Currently: 70+ RIT faculty/270+ classes
4200+ students/7100+ reports Easy to use Web interface Uses: single paper, routine class submission, educational tool Turnitin database covers submitted papers, paper mills, Web materials, and is continually growing Database articles are not searchable by Turnitin’s fingerprint because they are only accessed by paid subscriptions.

25 Turnitin.com continued
Turnitin database Automated Web robots Originality report Professor judges originality quality of scholarship Peer Review... Turnitin uses various means to locate matching text to a submitted paper. Faculty make the final judgement on the paper’s originality and the quality of scholarship. The Peer Review Service allows students to post their papers so students see others’ work and are able to make comments or share scholarship. The next 3 slides provide an example of what a Turnitin report looks like.

26 Turnitin.com Report The colored urls delineate where specific passages have come from the Web. The corresponding colored text in the next slide matches the colored urls - ie., the blue text came from the blue url’s Web site.

27 Turnitin.com Report Faculty make the final decision if the work was truly lifted illegally or not. Was there poor paraphrasing, a lack of citations or misuse of quotes?

28 Paraphrasing Worksheet
In class exercise Location: Plagiarism-You can Avoid it … tutorial Plagiarism is done in various ways, some of which may be unintentional. People plagiarize by, lifting all or part of another’s work, incorrectly paraphrasing, paraphrasing without proper documentation and, misusing quotes. All of these methods are much easier today with electronic copy and paste features, online thesauri, term paper Web sites, and the wealth of information available. The most common pitfalls are incorrect paraphrasing and citing. Let’s now take a look at a document that demonstrates paraphrasing and summarizing. Please refer to the Paraphrasing worksheet to learn more about correct paraphrasing. There are more paraphrasing tutorials on the Copyright / Plagiarism Web site.

29 When in Doubt - Cite Use appropriate citation form (MLA, APA)
Compile bibliography while doing research If you are unsure --- ask your instructor, librarian, or go to The last major tool used to avoid plagiarism is reference citation. Several citation formats have been designed to assist you in documenting the materials you use. Your instructors will tell you which format they want you to follow. APA and MLA are the predominate formats used at RIT. The Library has books, paper / online guides detailing these and other formats. Compile your bibliography, or list of references, in the required format as you do your research. It will save you time and effort when it comes to writing the paper. If you are unsure about any of the copyright and plagiarism information, ask your instructor or a librarian. You may also want to go to our Copyright & Plagiarism Web site for further information, the text of laws, or self-help exercises at:

30 Conclusion For further assistance: contact a Librarian at: Talk to US


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