Hit: Buying research papers

[Karen Jane McIntyre <kmcintyr@TENET.EDU>]

Sorry it took so long to get this material in the form of a hit.  But I
think it is still timely and we can all benefit from the many wise
suggestions that I received.  To tell you that these are people who know
whereof they speak--would be an understatement!  We had professors from
diverse institutions -- from Standford to Austin College.  Answers came
from as far away as Manheim, Germany!  What a wonderful tool this network
is! Thanks to the following people for their thoughts!  Betty Dawn
Hamilton, Linda Pierce, Elaine Emerson, Dr.  Reinhold Schlieper, Francine
Jewett, Laura H. Corkrey, Carole Hamilton, Marjorie Jordon, Doug Capra,
James Millican, Shelley Reid, Meredith Buchli, Winifred Wasden, Letitia
Scott Curtis, Ricahrd Shaw, Edward Vavra, Carole Carpenter, Patricia Small
-- I hope I didn't leave anyone out!  Their comments follow in no
particular order!

1.  Pull some words from the paper that you don't believe are part of the
students vocabulary.
Take them aside and if they can't tell you what the words mean say, "I'm
sorry.  It's obvious that
you didn't write this paper because if you don't know these words, you
couldn't have used them
here."  Usually they admit that they copied the material.

2.  One English teacher requires students to show her sources.  She
schedules a meeting with
suspect and requires that each source be cited.

3.  Students must turn in their notes with their papers.

4.  Generally, unless you have solid proof that the student cheated,
you'd be best off gritting your
teeth and keeping silent.  An aggressive parent with a legal eagle at
his/her side could finish your
career quickly.

5.  As I tell my students over and over again, save every single piece of
paper you write anything
on, so that if you do get called into my office, you can gleefully and
confidently show me the
paper trail.

6. I think administrators need to realize that they are responsible for
promulgating this type of
behavior if they let it go unnoticed in high school!

7.  If you grade on process as much as product--i.e. the steps as well as
the result, then the major
portion of the grade is contingent on the material you collect as the
paper is being formed.

8.  I require drafts and notes from all my college students; along with
helping to prevent the kind
of problems you're facing , it nudges some of them toward actually doing
a rough draft ---
teaching defensively is no fun at all, and proving plagiarism is the
worst of it......

9.Sometimes it is a matter of whose parents know who........I usually feel
like I'm out on a high limb without a net or a ladder.  Good luck...and
speak up!  Ask your school board for backing.

10.  You can ask for photocopies of the sources they used.

11.  I give the student an in-class writing assignment based on his or
her "research" This way if
you compare the in-class. writing with the paper it will be clear whether
they wrote it or not.

12.  I will not accept any paper unless it includes the outline and
drafts.  Research papers must
include Xeroxes of any pages cited.

13.  Locate the agency --such as a research associates--which you suspect
sold the paper---
be clever enough to make the request for the same topic come from another
locale as these
agencies usually track where they send papers...then compare the two and
you'll have them.

*******************--------------------*********************
Karen McIntyre Morton I.S.D. 500 Champion Dr. Morton, TX 79346
806-266-5524 Kmcintyr@tenet.edu