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Hi Lisa & Elizabeth,
I find this to be an extremely revealing topic with lots of
complexities. I also think that the moral stance many take toward it
is not very helpful, it often hinders a genuine exploration of
plagiarism from social, cultural and linguistic points of view. And,
I think Lisa's question calls for just such a multifaceted analysis
since her concern has to do with an international, non-native English
speaking group of students.
What counts as plagiarism in practice, no matter what definition you
use, is never clear cut even in American academia. (For evidence, see
many recent "scandals" of various kinds including this fascinating
one http://chronicle.com/free/v52/i49/49a00801.htm . Note in
particular the justifications given by the "culprits"; for people who
should presumably know better, they are remarkably similar to those
of students.) Even the exhaustive definition below is inadequate. FOr
instance, does "4. Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative
material " mean that one must provide a citation for the "fact" that
Columbus sailed the Atlantic in 1492? After reading a definition much
like this, a student of mine said yes. When I objected on the basis
of the "common knowledge" principle, she was not persuaded.
Irrespective of which of was right, this and other less detailed
definitions leave much room for interpretation.
Outside of academe, there are still other definitions and
conventions that govern citation and what is considered to be
plagiarism. Journalists, fiction writers, television commentators,
musical and other artists work under a different set of conventions.
Plagiarism varies by medium, context and genre, at the very least.
It's worth noting, I think, that these latter are much more familiar
to our students than the sometimes arcane conventions of academic
citation.
Now, when you bring a cultural dimension to bear on the question of
plagiarism, things get even more complex. Why should "Western" norms
prevail? And, more importantly, if we argue that they should prevail,
how do we teach all the nuances and variation to students who are not
immersed in and familiar with American culture and the beliefs and
laws within which our notions of plagiarism rules make sense?
And, lastly, why should students care very much? It's easy to see why
faculty should care about this; getting credit for one's work is
integral to earning a livelihood in academe. The stakes and
significance for students are much lower. And when the stakes are
lower and the rules don't seem to make sense or really even apply in
their INTENT, then people are not likely to follow them. So, while I
adhere to the rules of citation to avoid plagiarism assiduously, I
jaywalk whenever it is in my interests to do so. The law just isn't
that significant to me, so I don't follow it. And what are the
consequences of not doing so? Am I threatening civil society in some
way by crossing the street in this way? Are students truly
threatening academe by inappropriately using the ideas/words of
others? Are they, in their minds, really going to impact the field of
sociology or whatever with their term paper? Do they even feel
ownership of what they write to feel like they have "taken" someone
else's work?
And, by the way, imitation is fundamental to all learning, especially
language learning. Children say the darndest things, right; they use
language they hear, often ver batim. So, when we are dealing with
plagiarism rules in academia, we may be working against one of the
most natural and powerful of learning methods that humans possess:
"copying". At the very least, then, giving students a definition of
plagiarism is not likely to be sufficient for truly educating them
about the relevant issues. And, it just occured to me, many of the
ideas I've used in this analysis are not originally mine. Should I
have cited them?
If you've read to the bitter end, I'd be curious to read what you
have to say. But be sure to cite the relevant sources ;-).
Nic
>I personally feel that the definition that Indiana University uses is an
>excellent one and covers all bases, so I have copied it below from their
>website at http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/definition.html
>You will notice that there is no distinction made between plagiarizing
>from a printed paper or from the internet. Whatever form the original
>work is in, if a student takes credit for work that someone else did, or
>takes ideas from work done by another without acknowledging the source
>of the ideas, from my point of view, this is plagiarism.
>
>3. Plagiarism.
>
>Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else's work, including the
>work of other students, as one's own. Any ideas or materials taken from
>another source for either written or oral use must be fully
>acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. What is
>considered "common knowledge" may differ from course to course.
>
>a. A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, opinions, theories,
>formulas, graphics, or pictures of another person without
>acknowledgment.
>
>b. A student must give credit to the originality of others and
>acknowledge an indebtedness whenever:
>
>1. Directly quoting another person's actual words, whether oral or
>written;
>
>2. Using another person's ideas, opinions, or theories;
>
>3. Paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others,
>whether oral or written;
>
>4. Borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; or
>
>5. Offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of
>projects or collections without acknowledgment.
>
>
>
>You might want to visit the following IU websites for more about
>plagiarism.
>
>
>
>http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
>
>
>
>
>http://www.indiana.edu/~istd/
>
>
>
>This email message dictated to a Dragon in training
>I am training Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Please forgive minor, odd
>errors and anomalies.
>
>Elizabeth Worden, Director
>Academic Support Center
>Eastern Maine Community College
>354 Hogan Road
>Bangor, ME 04401
>phone: 207 974 4658
>fax: 207 974 4888
>website: www.emcc.edu/departments/asc/
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lisa Burns
>Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 8:44 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: avoiding plaigarism
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I am currently looking for ideas and activities to help introduce the
>concept of citation and avoiding plagarism for our growing exchange
>program
>with China. It has been brought to my attention that the idea of
>intellectual property is a Western notion and that plagarism is not
>taboo in
>China as it is in the States.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions or current practices/activites that
>they
>have found helpful when working with ESL students? Your suggestions
>would
>be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
>
>Lisa Burns, x2393
>Tutor Coordinator
>155 Greenwood Library
>Longwood University
>
>
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--
Knowledge emerges only through invention and reinvention, through
the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry men pursue in
the world, with the world, and with each other. --Paolo Freire
Dominic (Nic) J. Voge
Study Strategies Program Coordinator
University of California, Berkeley
Student Learning Center
136 Cesar Chavez Student Center #4260
Berkeley, CA 94720-4260
(510) 643-9278
[log in to unmask]
http://slc.berkeley.edu
FALL 2006 OFFICE HOURS:
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