Catching
cheaters via Internet database
By Jill Thomsen
On-line Forty-Niner
Professors
are utilizing a powerful new tool to combat
plagiarism this semester, an Internet service
called turnitin.com.
Founded in 1996 at UC Berkeley, the site
is the “world’s most widely recognized and
trusted resource for preventing Internet
plagiarism,” according to press materials.
The system is used by professors at all
California State University system schools
and most University of California schools.
“I think it’s great,” says turnitin.com
user and philosophy professor Julie Van
Camp. “When people cheat it undermines the
mission of the university. I’m not interested
in finding cheaters and the site serves
well as a deterrent.”
Originally known as plagiarism.org, turnitin.com
uses complex technology to perform a seemingly
simple task — scanning papers for plagiarism.
Students or professors submit papers electronically
to the Web site. Within 24 hours, turnitin.com
sends the instructor a customized “originality
report” which notes any plagiarized or paraphrased
material from the Web and gives a link to
the original material.
Turnitin.com has compiled a massive database
of digital material by “continually cataloging
and indexing the entire Internet using automated
Web robots,” according to its technology
FAQ. The database also contains the papers
and materials from online “paper mills”
such as schoolsucks.com.
Even more specifically, academic papers
that are submitted become part of the database
as well. This deters “community” papers,
such as those used by some fraternities
and sororities, from being accepted. Professors
and students also note that students often
use papers written by friends or siblings
in previous classes. Turnitin.com can potentially
detect these as well.
“It’s no secret that plagiarism and academic
dishonesty is a huge problem in the United
States and a very troubling one,” Van Camp
said. “I hope students realize that we care
about academic honesty. When it comes to
plagiarism, don’t mess with me.”
Before using the turnitin.com system, Van
Camp would enter phrases from a suspect
paper into the Google search engine and
often found matches.
“Students have to realize that as easy as
it is for them to plagiarize off the Internet,
that’s how easy it is for us to find it,”
Van Camp said.
Senior human resources management Elaine
Murphy also is submitting a term paper through
the site for class.
“I think it is a good idea,” she said. “If
people are honest, they won’t have a problem
with it. It’s going to deter people from
doing it and I know from experience that
a lot of students plagiarize.”
Women’s studies associate professor Wendy
Griffin heard about the site more than a
year ago when she served on a commission
addressing the growing problem of plagiarism
on campus. She said her students may “have
been a little surprised,” when she told
them about the system. Griffin will be using
the site to look at papers from two women’s
studies courses this semester.
Under Cal State Long Beach’s policy statement
on cheating and plagiarism, an additional
test of competency related to the subject
must be taken after a student is formally
charged with plagiarism.
|
