Re: Plagiarism Issue

[v-balester@tamu.edu (Valerie Balester)]

Chari, This is a huge problem and I sympathisze.  You probably alreadu know
a few of the hints I'll give you, but here goes anyway.

train your instructors to check papers along the way--drafts, drafts,
drafts, and make sure syudents are required to turn in all drafts for each
paper.  Also, we make them turn in all drafts and finished papers at the
end of the term (if they don't, they fail the course).  We keep these in
instructor's offices for a year.  When we suspect plagiarism but have no
proof, we quietly circulate an APB among our instructors describing the
paper.  Sometimes instructors do actually recognize a paper and check their
old files.

Make sure all instructors discuss plagiarism and assign readings and
examples.  The penalties ahould be disucced with all students, as well as
any appeals process.

Bottom line, you can only prevent this to a limited extent, and you have to
decide how much you should leave up to karma.  But I think a few safeguard
do help create a climate that discourages palgiarism.

Valerie Balester
Director of Writing Programs
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4227
(409) 845-3155
(409) 862-2292 FAX
v-balester@tamu.edu