Understanding of Plagiarism Within a Discipline Context - Article Example

CRITICAL ISSUES IN ADVANCED STUDY Doaa Hasan Mirah ID Number 09985508 Course MSC Management Unit Name Developing Professional Practice Instructor’s Name Ruth McQuater Date 25th October 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary of the Article……………………………………………… 3 Critical Analysis………………………………………………………..4 Reference List.………………………………………………………….7 Annotated Bibliography………………………………………………..8 Annotated Bibliography………………………………………………..9 Annotated Bibliography………………………………………………10 3 SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE Enhancing Student’ Understanding of Plagiarism within a Discipline Context By Sue McGowan and Margaret Lightbody The article written by McGowan and Lightbody was aimed at describing a unique method of teaching plagiarism to students using accounting contexts. Also, the authors discussed the method by which the plagiarism assignment was used to enforce lessons on plagiarism which students were at first expected to know, but were soon identified as having poor knowledge on what comprise plagiarism. At the begining, the authors discussed the factors that gave the essential to undertake a plagiarism assignment to accounting students. McGowan and Lightbody eventually provided a more detailed description of the plagiarism assignment by indicating its goal which is to improve the mechanism of avoiding plagiarism by making them more aware of correct referencing. Furthermore, it was further emphasized that the need to evaluate the success of the assignment in terms of applying a grade to assess their skills in detecting plagiarized documents and applying the appropriate referencing. So, feedback from the students on their understanding of important aspects of plagiarism before and after the assignment determined the effectiveness of the assignment in improving the students’ understanding and skills in avoiding plagiarism. The exercise also assisted the students in gaining a deeper understanding of their course because of the need to read the essay in greater detail. However, still, other students reacted that the plagiarism assignment distracted them from learning the technical contents of the course. However, a portion on reflections served as concluding remarks were the authors summarized the important parts of the article, including the objectives, the measure of success, the students’ feedback, and some shortcomings. 4 CRITICAL ANALYSIS The article can be analyzed in terms of its effectiveness in achieving its defined objective. The objective was to describe and analyze an innovative plagiarism assignment designed for students taking accounting courses. Therefore, there are a number of aspects that must be taken into consideration to analyze this article as discussed below. Firstly, in terms of the structure and literature review, it seems that the presentation of the article was clearly organized and structured beginning with an introduction of the problem on plagiarism. Also, the authors cited various literatures written by a total of 22 authorities on the subject and published in academic journals and online electronic sources. What is the relation between this idea and the idea above? Before describing the assignment in more detail, McGowan and Lightbody presented some background information which provided the drive for them to continue the study due to well identified factors: the regular detection of plagiarism by the academic staff, the probable insufficient formal teaching on plagiarism if new students were allowed to entre in their second year of the course; and the knowledge of students opting to plagiarize that there is a negligible possibility of being detected. Which part in the article you identified these four factors? Furthermore, the description of the assignment was clear and concise starting with the objective of the assignment which is basically to improve the skills of students in terms of enhanced awareness on “when and how to reference within the context of the accounting discipline and thus to avoid plagiarism” (McGowan & Lightbody, 2008, p. 275). Also, the method employed which method or from where I can find it in the article) to achieve the objective, was furthermore, straightforward as it detailed three tasks or learning objectives from the activity which are: to learn on correct referencing concepts, to identify the need to reference from exercise materials, and to present a corrected form of referenced material. However, the overall structure was effectively presented but could still be improved in terms of providing sub-topics in relatively long explanations for clarity and delineation of topics discussed. For example, under the topic Evaluation of the Development of Knowledge of 5 Plagiarism and Referencing, the reader might confuse his understanding due to the long discussion which starting on page 277 and ending on 282 – without providing for sub-topics. The discussion could have been delineated through sub-topics such as Students’ Self-Ratings (which could incorporate Table 1), Students’ Comments (which discusses benefits of the questionnaire feedback), and Anecdotal Evidence from Lecturers (which presents their points of view on the results of the plagiarism assignment).(is these as suggestions and examples from you as a sub-topics?)  Secondly, in terms of the content of the article, the strengths are proved in its ability to relay relevant and comprehensive information of the innovative method to deliver to students the relevance of learning various perspectives on plagiarism with the end goal of encouraging them to avoid it.(can I know which methods that the outhors used and what is the method that they used to encouraged them?) While, traditional articles on plagiarism generally present its definition, types, current practice and tips to avoid it (“What is Plagiarism?”, 2010; Girard, 2004; Suarez & Martin, 2001; Posner, 2007; and Standler, 2007). Only one article from those reviewed showed that the authors used exercises to enhance students’ learning on plagiarism (Clabaugh & Rozcyki, 2003). In addition, the progress of the students was monitored from a feedback mechanism designed to apply their responses to questions pertinent to their understanding of plagiarism concepts before and after the assignment. The only weakness of the evaluation method was the lack of follow-up from the part of the school administrator tasked with monitoring students who fared poorly from the assignment to attend a learning workshop. As noted, the scheduling for students who failed the assignment was on an individual basis made directly to the adviser. So, to improve this phase, those who identified students who failed in the exercise must be the ones to automatically schedule them to the learning workshop to ensure that they are given enough learning on plagiarism aspects that they failed to understand. Only when all students have passed this assignment should they be allowed to take higher level courses. Now is this paragraph completed to the idea before but you just critecised weakness of the method? Or is it a new idea? The authors acknowledged that there were limitations of the study where various questions and issued were raised as indicated by the failure to measure the effectiveness of the study on a longer time frame; measures of improvement based on self-reporting which could be subjective and biased; failure to expound on other forms of plagiarism that remain undetected; 6 and the limited evidence on students’ application of the lessons learned from the study to future courses, (McGowan & Lightbody, 2008, p. 286).  In this regard, future research is still deemed appropriate to clearly provide a direct link between the students’ enhanced learning from the assignment in terms of detecting plagiarism and their own perceived notion that in cases when plagiarism is opted, would the incident be truly detected and subsequently penalized. The article written by Standler (2007) which discussed plagiarism in a legal manner could provide an increased knowledge and worry to attempt to plagiarize due to the legal sanctions and penalties imposed by law. The article mentioned the alarming incidence in the form of plagiarism enabling easy access and copying of information from the Internet (McGowan & Lightbody, 2008).So, from the review of other literature on current thinking on the subject of plagiarism, the following studies and authors provided additional information which cites the Internet as a medium where students have practised plagiarism at an alarming and increasing number: “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It,” 2010; Suarez & Martin, 2001; Gabriel, 2010; and Clabaugh & Rozcyki, 2003. These studies showed the relevance of their topic as it aims to address plagiarism in contemporary generation. Reference List Clabaugh, G.K. & Rozcyki, E.G.(2003). “The Plagiarism Book: A Student’s Manual.” New Foundations Press, Oreland, PA. Gabriel, T. (2010). “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age.” The New York Times, August 2, A1. Girard, N.J. (2004) “Plagiarism: an ethical problem in the writing world.” AORN Journal, pp. 1 – 3. McGowan, S. & Lightbody, M. (2008). “Enhancing Students’ Understanding of Plagiarism within a Discipline Context.” Accounting Education: an international journal, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 273 – 290. “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.” Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml accessed 10.10.2010 Posner, R.A. (2007). “The Little Book of Plagiarism.” Pantheon, Random House, Inc. USA. Standler, R.B. (2007). “Plagiarism in Colleges in the USA.” http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm accessed 10.10.2010 Suarez, J., & Martin, A. (2001). “Internet plagiarism: A teachers combat guide.” Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 1 (4), http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss4/currentpractice/article2.htm accessed 10.10.2010 What is plagiarism?” Plagiarism.Org. http://www.plagiarism.org/ accessed 10.10.2010 8 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY “What is plagiarism?” Plagiarism.Org. http://www.plagiarism.org/ accessed 10.10.2010 The internet site provided relevant information on facts about plagiarism including its definition, tips on preventing plagiarism, the types of plagiarism, frequently asked questions, definition of citation and citing sources, among others. The definition of plagiarism was sourced from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, as quoted herewith: “to "plagiarize" means to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as ones own; to use (anothers production) without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; and to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source” (What is plagiarism, n.d., par. 2). The site is useful for students and writers needed information about the topic with resources and solutions provided therein. “Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It.” Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml accessed 10.10.2010 The online electronic article discussed how students can avoid plagiarism with guidelines being provided on recognizing paraphrases which are classified as unacceptable and acceptable. It discussed briefly the topic on plagiarism as related to the World Wide Web. Also, clear strategies were enumerated for students to avoid plagiarism such as using quotations for direct citations and simple rules on paraphrasing. Finally, some rules for common knowledge need not be documented. The example indicated was: “John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960. This is generally known information. You do not need to document this fact” (Plagiarism, par. 20 – 21). Girard, N.J. (2004) “Plagiarism: an ethical problem in the writing world.” AORN Journal, pp. 1 – 3. The author compared plagiarism to a form of stealing. She discussed the common types of plagiarism and identified it as an increasing problem especially in the media. She also presented the reasons for the occurrence of plagiarism, citing S. Nones Cronin which was quoted as “including pressure to publish, lack of time, the desire to get work into print quickly, 9 simultaneously submitting an article to multiple journals in hopes of increasing the odds of acceptance, and carelessness” (Cronin, pp. 253 – 254). Girard finally wrote some guidelines on how writers can avoid plagiarism and concluded by stating that “knowledge is your best defense” (Girard, 2004, p. 2). Suarez, J., & Martin, A. (2001). “Internet plagiarism: A teachers combat guide.” Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 1 (4), http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss4/currentpractice/article2.htm accessed 10.10.2010 The authors focused their article on discussing what constitutes plagiarism, the types, the online sites that teachers must be aware of, guidelines on detecting plagiarism, and the strategies to prevent it. The article also provided online sites which could detect plagiarism, aside from the guidelines they enumerated. According to Suarez & Martin, although the problem of plagiarism existed a long time ago, the “the Web has made it even easier for students to cheat; it has become imperative for teachers to combat plagiarism. Knowing exactly what plagiarism is, learning the clues to detect plagiarism, and practicing the strategies to prevent it can aid teachers in detouring plagiarism” (Suarez & Martin, 2001, par.20). Gabriel, T. (2010). “Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age.” The New York Times, August 2, A1. The author initially cited several students from different universities being caught copying and not crediting the correct sources. Gabriel noted that students of today’s generation do not realize the gravity of plagiarism due to the ease of accessing information from the Internet. A root cause for plagiarism was noted from a senior at Indiana University, Sarah Wilensky’s observation that “students leave high school unprepared for the intellectual rigors of college writing” (Gabriel, 2010, A1). The article is interesting and informative in terms of indicating facts about the cause of plagiarism and the increased incidence during the Internet era. However, it did not provide any suggestions or recommendations to prevent it. Posner, R.A. (2007). “The Little Book of Plagiarism.” Pantheon, Random House, Inc. USA. Posner discussed plagiarism in a booklet form by presenting the definition, the reasons why one should not plagiarize, the positive reasons for not plagiarizing, the current practice, and how to avoid it. The author’s positive reasons for not plagiarizing which he emphasized as taking pride in one’s work, the determination of one’s real achievement, and not being credited for one’s 10 work as strictly enforced in UK Academic Institutions (Posner, 2007, p. 3), are worth reflecting on. The booklet presented concise information which could be beneficial for students as it provided some clear guidelines on how to avoid plagiarism. Posner concluded by stating that the best approach is “to ensure that you have not plagiarized in the first place” (Posner, 2007, p. 9). Clabaugh, G.K. & Rozcyki, E.G. (2003). “The Plagiarism Book: A Student’s Manual.” New Foundations Press, Oreland, PA. The authors discussed plagiarism through games and exercises designed to rewrite, transform, delete, rearrange, substitute words with synonyms, expand one’s skills, and to properly cite, among others. Clabaugh & Rozcyki also provided reasons why one should not cheat and indicated the incidents of plagiarism in the Web. In addition, A variety of penalties were also indicated ranging from zeros in the plagiarized assignment, to informing parents, an automatic failure in the course, and even expulsion either from the program or from the school, itself (Clabaugh & Rozcyki, 2003, p. 63). The book provides informative insights which were made more interesting through exercises that would assist students in developing their skills in writing. Standler, R.B. (2007). “Plagiarism in Colleges in the USA.” http://www.rbs2.com/plag.htm accessed 10.10.2010 Standler discussed plagiarism in a legal perspective. He presented initially a definition of plagiarism, the sources of plagiarized works, the law of plagiarism which explains the copyright law, the trademark law, fraud, among others. The author also identified some plagiarism cases and the right of colleges to rescind degrees when students are proven to have plagiarized in their academic requirements. He concluded by stating that “it is time that colleges took an active stand against plagiarism. Professors should actively check for plagiarism. When possible plagiarism is detected, professors should report the case to the appropriate authorities on campus for investigation, hearing, and resolution” (Standler, 2007, last par.). Read More