Module 4: Case Study Assignment Avoiding Plagiarism Name Course School

Running Head: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

I. Introduction
Plagiarism is the bane of modern college students. In the age of the internet it is very tempting to copy and paste whole sentences or even entire paragraphs from the works of others. This is wrong because the learning process is short-circuited and students simply repeat what they saw on the internet without adding their own thoughts or even questioning the correctness of what was written. Furthermore it is intellectually dishonest because without proper attribution, statements found in a written work are deemed to be the original thoughts of the author. There are many ways to avoid plagiarism but first we must recognize what it is. This essay will compare and contrast two articles on plagiarism written by Belter and Pre (2009) and Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010) with a view towards exposing plagiarism and taking steps towards preventing it.

II. Overview of two works

Belter and Pre (2009) conducted a study on the effectiveness of an online academic integrity module on reducing the occurrence of plagiarism in a written assignment for a college course. As a result of the academic integrity module the level of plagiarism went down from 25.% to just 6.5% for the students who actually completed the module. In addition, the module resulted in a marked improvement in the grades of the students post module. Another finding is that a significant portion of the plagiarism encountered was the result of inadequate knowledge of proper quotation and citation (Belter and Pre, 2009). Even if the module was self-taught it was still very successful in reducing plagiarism and improving overall performance.

Running Head: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010) states that there are Several core competencies related to information literacy have been identified by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Students must learn gather relevant information and communicate their findings effectively. A collaborative activities described here, which could easily be used for other disciplines, introduces first-semester freshmen to the standards of professional scientific writing, the different forms of publication, search strategies to effectively search for information using a relevant database, and plagiarism. Included in the study conducted by Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2009) is a pre and post activity assessment demonstrates that students gain both confidence and knowledge on several important skills as a result of this activity. Providing content-relevant information literacy experience lays the foundation for students to be successful consumers of information.

III. T-Chart of Similarities and Difference

Belter and Pre (2009) S The Article frowns upon Plagiarism S Talks about the detrimental effect of plagiarism in an academic environment. S Speaks of ways to reduce the incidences of plagiarism. S Pre and Post intervention status of the students have drastically improved in the relevant metrics. Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010) S The Article frowns upon Plagiarism S Talks about the detrimental effect of plagiarism in an academic environment. S Speaks of ways to reduce the incidences of plagiarism. S Pre and Post intervention status of the students have drastically improved in the desired criteria

Running Head: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM D A Strategy to Reduce Plagiarism in an Undergraduate Course is focused on a study which shows that people who attended an academic integrity module. D Developing Information Literacy Skills Early in an Undergraduate Curriculum is focused towards teaching the students about what constitutes plagiarism and how they can take steps to not become guilty of D Belter and Pre (2009) are talking about a self-taught module that addresses the knowledge gaps that a student might have. D Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010) are focused on students who will perform college level scientific S Uses statistical data to prove the writing. They stress the dangers of point that the students have in fact improved. S Used Statistical data to prove that the methods have produced useful results. plagiarism in that field. plagiarism.

IV.

Discussion of the relevance of results.

Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010) present their results using statistical data and tables which are informative and it gives them in a clear and concise manner. This paper is a good example of what a scientific work should be if it is to be addressed to the general public. The visual examples can also help if a person would like to replicate the interventions made. The

Running Head: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM replication of the exercises is especially helpful because a reader might want to do those exercises to improve his or her ability to avoid plagiarism on their own.

Belter and Pre (2009) also present their work in a clear and concise manner. Their target audience is people who actually have a working understanding of statistics and research methodology. The reforms they propose are concrete if not as easy to replicate as those indicated in the Freeman and Lynd-Balta (2010). Still the exercises they propose can still be very informative for those students who struggle with problems related to plagiarism. After all, any help towards improving the academic integrity of students is a boon to the academe.

V. Conclusion
Plagiarism starts with the mind. People tend to have grey areas saying its ok in some instances or that there are situations where cheating is allowed. Yet in a sound academic environment plagiarism has no place. Allowing students to believe that minor instances of plagiarism or the belief that plagiarism will not be caught will be like the termites that slowly eat away a house, a house called academic integrity. This we cannot allow. But so long as we are committed to academic integrity it is unlikely that people will stoop to plagiarism or any other forms of cheating just to get ahead. After all the readings have indicated that some people who resort to plagiarism do so not out of malice or wrong intent but simply because they do not know how to properly cite their materials. Others do so because they are disempowered and feel that they have to resort to it as a crutch due to their limited understanding of the works they must use as references. In both cases, the readings can prove to be very helpful in addressing the reduction of plagiarism.

Running Head: AVOIDING PLAGIARISM References

Belter, R. W., & Pr, A. (2009). A Strategy to Reduce Plagiarism in an Undergraduate Course. Teaching of Psychology, 36(4), 257-261. doi:10.1080/00986280903173165 Freeman, E., & Lynd-Balta, E. (2010). Developing Information Literacy Skills Early in an Undergraduate Curriculum. College Teaching, 58(3), 109-115.