Open AccessA model for determining student plagiarism: Electronic detection and academic judgement
Author(s) -
Tracey Bretag,
Saadia Mahmud
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of university teaching and learning practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.258
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 1449-9789
DOI - 10.53761/1.6.1.6
Subject(s) - plagiarism detection , judgement , attribution , authorship attribution , matching (statistics) , element (criminal law) , computer science , mathematics education , psychology , pedagogy , artificial intelligence , social psychology , epistemology , political science , philosophy , statistics , mathematics , law
This paper provides insights based on the authors’ own practice as university instructors, researchers and arbitrators of student plagiarism. Recognising the difficulty in defining plagiarism while still acknowledging the practical importance of doing so, the authors find the common element between the various types of plagiarism to be the lack of appropriate attribution to the original source. The use of electronic text-matching software to detect different types of plagiarism is explored, and a model presented for identifying potential plagiarism in students’ work. The authors conclude that despite its shortcomings, electronic detection in combination with manual analysis, nuanced academic judgement and clear processes provide the means to determine if plagiarism has occurred.