possible plagiarism

[Kenneth Brostrom]

Dear SEELANGers:

  I expect everyone is now tired of the topic of plagiarism, especially at
the end of the semester when we are buried in exams and papers.
Nevertheless, I have a suggestion that has not yet been mentioned, and it
has worked repeatedly for me.  I will admit immediately that it smacks of
intimidation, but I understand that the plagiarizer is not only attempting
to steal someone else's ideas but my time, which is extremely precious
right now.  So intimidation suits my mood in these circumstances.

  I make sure that I assign the entire class a useful, short written
exercise of some sort early in the semester.  It should be so specific or
narrowly focussed that plagiarism will be virtually impossible, given the
short time-line.  And thieves are usually not thinking about theft so early
in the semester.  So I receive writing samples from every student, which I
xerox and retain in my files for the duration of the semester.  Then they
go into the recycle bin.

  When I encounter papers or essays that I know to be plagiarized, I simply
send such students a letter informing them that I believe them to be guilty
of plagiarism and that the penalty wil be ....  I also include a copy of
the university's student due-process policy, which informs them of their
rights in this situation.  This immediately moves the situation toward
litigation, which is threatening enough.  But the policy also outlines what
the penalties for plagiarism can be, up to and including expulsion from the
university.  Every time I have done this, the culprit has meekly accepted
his or her grade of "E" and I never hear from them again.

  There is obvious risk in this procedure.  Eventually I may encounter a
braver thief, who will challenge me, and I will have to prove my case.  But
so far that hasn't happened, and I have saved a great deal of time.  When
it does happen, I am indebted to all who have contributed to this
discussion (and especially to David Birnbaum) for suggestions regarding the
location of sources.  In my experience, most of this material comes from
the Web, and David's suggestions are most helpful in this regard.

Ken Brostrom

Kenneth Brostrom
Assoc. Prof. of Russian
Dept. of German and Slavic Studies
Wayne State University, Detroit 48202
FAX (313) 577-3266
E-mail: k_brostrom at wayne.edu