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Pittsburg State University
1701 South Broadway
Pittsburg KS 66762

Don Judd
WAC Coordinator
English
Phone: (620) 235-4697

Kathleen De Grave
Assistant WAC Coordinator
English
Phone: (620) 235-4705

Cynthia Woodburn
Assistant WAC Coordinator
Mathematics
Phone: (620) 235-4490

Bruce Shields
WAC Graduate Assistant
English
Phone: (620) 235-4686

How can I prevent plagiarism

The best way to prevent plagiarism is to see student work in various stages. Students plagiarize either because they feel they have too much work or because they think they can't do the assignment. If you see early drafts of an essay, there is no way for a student to get around the work, so plagiarism wouldn't help. (Even if the student took the original essay from elsewhere without your knowledge, the student has to produce more than one version of the piece and has to make the changes you request.) Getting your help before a grade is assigned should reduce the student's anxiety, again making plagiarism less attractive. See the following site for a discussion of why students plagiarize. http://www.calstatela.edu/centers/write_cn/plagiarism.htm (California State LA)

You can also prevent plagiarism by coming up with topics that are specific to your course. These days, students can get general essays on just about any subject off the internet, but it would be much harder for them to find a focused essay on a topic that has been discussed in a certain way in your class. If you require certain references to course material to be in the essay, plagiarism will be much less inviting.

Finally, talk to your students about plagiarism -- what it means in your class and the consequences that will ensue. Some plagiarism is unintentional -- students using sources without citing them properly. Talk about correct documentation for your course, and advise students to use the resources on this WAC website (see How do I Cite Sources Correctly) if they don't know the rules.

See the following links for other ideas on how to prevent plagiarism:

For a specific list of ways to prevent plagiarism, go to http://flightline.highline.edu/wac/responding/tips_on_plagiarism.htm (Highline Community College)
The University of Texas also has useful ideas: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/instruction/faculty/plagiarism/preventing.html
Our own WAC webpage has a helpful section on plagiarism under Questions Students Frequently Ask, called How Do I Avoid Plagiarism? This section brings you to a couple of good discussions of how to prevent plagiarism from the student's point of view, given by Duke University.

You might want to ask your students to read the Duke University guide to avoiding plagiarism early in the semester. This will give them everything they need if they are uncertain about what the correct use of outside sources is, and what plagiarism means. See the link above.

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