Plagiarism: A Trio of New Books
by Vicki Urquhart
Plagiarism: Is it symptomatic of greater moral decline?
How prevalent is it? How harmful? Do academic honor codes
really work? If you’re in the classroom, you’ve asked these
questions. Collegiate level plagiarism is an unavoidable issue,
yet it is frequently one of the least effectively dealt with.
A look at any of the three books reviewed below will cause
you to rethink or change the way you currently deal with it.
THE THIRD EDITION of Stolen Words, first published
in 1989, illuminates the practice of plagiarism and ignites
the reader’s indignation. As if through an historian’s eyes,
author Thomas Mallon provides examples from as early as the
seventeenth century to support his belief that no creative
process is free from the threat of plagiarism. Five cases
of note, including revelations regarding Martin Luther King’s
work in the 20th century, reveal significant societal impact.
Particularly interesting to the academic, will be the story
of Texas Tech history professor Jayme Sokolow. Mallon revisits
the case explaining that by the 1981-82 academic year, Sokolow’s
career had skyrocketed in spite of persistent suspicions
about the originality and quality of his work. It took years
to act upon early allegations, however, and Mallon blames
“The inability of the literary and academic worlds adequately
to define, much less reasonably punish, instances of plagiarism”
(xii). Ultimately, not only did Sokolow’s career remain intact,
but he ironically secured a job where he regularly reviewed
the research of others. The academic affair reveals, Mallon
believes, an ineffectual professional association that is
unable to act swiftly and justly, and an institution of higher
learning naively unsuspecting.
Mallon calls for a return to active respect for originality.
The problem, he writes, has been and remains the same–academics
passively refuse to police their own and spend too much time
philosophizing rather than acting. He disdains high-faluting
theory and argues that “Language–which words in what order–is
what plagiarism generally comes down to (p. 241).
In a new Afterword, Mallon broadens his attacks to include
the Internet. “The Web makes it impossible for students to
value originality, or writing itself, in quite the same way.
If all writing is instantly available, none of it can be worth
all that much” (p. 245). The situation is grim, he concludes,
but there is hope for the future–supporters of originality
must rally to restore respect for authorship to its rightful
position.
Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era
by Ann Lathrop and Kathleen Foss. Englewood: Colorado, Libraries
Unlimited, Inc., 2000. $30.
This book is needed, say librarians Ann Lathrop and Kathleen
Foss, because “Plagiarism is alive and well on campuses and
in cyberspace.” As if agreeing with Thomas Mallon (see Stolen
Words), they write, “Teachers who confront the problem
will make it more difficult for students to cheat or plagiarize.
Lathrop and Foss don’t just tell teachers to be informed–they
make it possible for nearly every page to be shared with a
fellow instructor or presented in a workshop. Their book,
Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era is a practical
guide to dealing with plagiarism. Primarily intended for a
K-12 audience, the book contains many examples of plagiarism
as practiced by college students, and solutions are as valid
for college instructors as for K-12 educators.
“Downloadable Term Papers: What’s a Prof to do?” is a chapter
on electronic plagiarism that will hit home with the adjunct
instructor as it reviews the three kinds of term paper sources
on the Web: (1) traditional paper mills, (2) papers “published”
by students and instructors, and (3) papers free for the downloading.
A more sophisticated “translation scheme” also is described:
A student with computer expertise and good vocabulary skills
can locate free translation software on-line, download a paper
in that language on the topic needed, run the paper through
the translation program, edit the paper for obvious errors
in translation, and turn it in . . . and the plagiarism will
probably not be identified (p. 20).
“Possibly the best defense against high-tech cheating is
information,” respond Lathrop and Foss.
They describe new electronic tools for identifying plagiarism,
provide URLs, and share techniques used by “real” teachers.
They also include alternatives to traditional writing assignments,
and lists of on-line sites for reports and research papers.
Foremost, this book is designed to be used: “Copy me” pages
contain reprint permission, chapters are summarized, and overviews
lead the reader directly to the most helpful sections.
For anyone who reads this no-nonsense book, there are no
more excuses. “We cannot let students make cheating and plagiarizing
into a game where whoever cheats the most is the winner. This
is a game with serious negative consequences for the students,
for education, and for society,” write the authors.
The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting,
and Dealing With Plagiarism by Robert A. Harris. Pyrczak
Publishing: Los Angeles, 2001. $19.95.
Robert Harris has taught English at Vanguard University of
Southern California since 1975 and aimed The Plagiarism Handbook
at teachers, like himself, who need “practical tools and ideas
to combat plagiarism (p. v).” Harris honestly admits: “It
is very difficult to fight the plagiarism battle alone” (p.
21). Yet, he admonishes readers: “The young people you are
teaching are looking to you for guidance” (p. 22).
The book is not a shocking exposé of scandal-ridden campuses.
Harris tries to tread a middle path–sometimes suggesting
that universities ferret out plagiarism and publicly expose
it; other times, sounding sympathetic and forgiving towards
youthful offenders. He educates readers about the causes of
plagiarism and student cheating, provides strategies for detecting
and dealing with it, and directly addresses administrative
and institutional issues. Helpful appendices contain classroom
activities and teaching ideas, sample honor codes and policies,
and Internet search tools and useful Web links.
Lacking Mallon’s philosophical-historical insights, and less
strident than Foss and Lathrop, Harris advocates creating
lessons and devoting class time to the issue of plagiarism,
“so they [students] will know enough to avoid committing it
willingly” (p. 23). Indeed, Harris suggests students are innocent
until proven guilty in the section devoted to the ethical
and educational reasons why students resort to plagiarism.
In a “share-the-blame” approach, he directs instructors to
go the extra mile to make assignments clear, divide total
credit for an assignment among its parts, and even require
photocopies or printouts of sources.
The book’s broader premise is that “Plagiarism is not merely
an attempt to deceive a professor; it is an attempt to steal
a degree from the institution.” Not surprisingly, Harris says
cheating and plagiarism are everyone’s problems, and everyone
has a role to play. His handbook is meant to be a comprehensive
guidebook for preventing, detecting, and acting on plagiarism
at all levels.
Which of these three books, if any, should you buy? For my
money, Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet
Era is the best of the trio. With its plentiful tips,
guides and Internet resources, the book will, for the moment,
help you stay one step ahead of the most popular forms of
cheating and the latest methods of plagiarism.
