7 How is Plagiarism Detected?
How do instructors know if a student plagiarized?
Instructors are skilled at detecting plagiarism from their students. As subject specialists who are familiar with the literature in their respective fields, instructors can easily recognize ideas that have been discussed before, as well as vocabulary or jargon specific to their area of expertise. Because of this, instructors know when a student fails to cite a source. Professors also notice when a student’s assignment greatly exceeds the subject knowledge of other students in the class.
Writing style provides additional hints about plagiarism to professors. When grading assignments, instructors will:
- Spot differences in writing styles
- Notice if a student’s writing differs significantly from one assignment to another
- Determine if a student’s writing exceeds their level of study
Professors are aware that each student has their own distinct way of writing and recognize that writing skills develop over time rather than overnight. Consequently, sudden shifts in writing style will immediately alert your professors that something is amiss.
Professors, AKA super sleuths at detecting plagiarism
Professors have more tools in their plagiarism detection toolbelts than you might expect. Here are just a few of the strategies instructors use to recognize plagiarism from their students:
- Spot checking sources
- Professors examine your references to make sure citations are complete and accurate. They also check to make sure quoting and paraphrasing are performed properly.
- Googling
- Professors know how to use search engines to double check that your work is new and original. If you copied something from the Internet, it will be easy for them to find it.
- Searching for uploaded materials
- It is never safe to borrow a paper from the Internet or pay someone else to write one for you. In addition to recognizing changes in writing style, professors will check to see if a student’s assignment was previously uploaded online.
- Plagiarism detection services
- Plagiarism detection services, such as Turnitin and Grammarly, are a type of technology that allow professors to instantly assess whether a student committed plagiarism. Plagiarism detection services are frequently used at LSUS, and many plagiarism cases at the university are detected with these technologies. These tools may also be used to detect the use of AI-assisted writing.
Module Two Recap
Let’s recap what you have learned in Module 2.
- Plagiarism violates the principle of academic integrity and its six values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage.
- Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional.
- Plagiarism involves misrepresenting the intellectual output of others as your own. This is considered plagiarism even when you pay for or ask permission to use the material.
- Examples of misrepresentation include contract cheating, collusion, improper copying of words and structures, self-plagiarism of your own work, and improper quoting and paraphrasing.
- Plagiarism is ethically wrong because it disregards someone’s previous intellectual output.
- Intellectual output applies to all works or ideas of others, regardless of format.
- Plagiarism can have severe academic, personal, professional and even legal consequences.
Congratulations, you have finished Module Two.
