Re: Plagiarism

[Earl Sande <sandes@wilken-dsm.com>]

Thank you all for so many thoughtful comments on someone's question on
plagiarism.  It has given me a point of reference which to
think/re-think the topic.

Our concern about plagiarism should be that we want to ensure the
student understands the information they have been researching.
Plagiarism - in its broadest sense - is simply copying.

Second, we want the student to understand the whole question of
"honesty".  That is, we mark the student of what their research -
thinking - reporting has accomplished, not what someone else has done.

Third, we need to recognize that there is not as clear a distinction of
the levels of plagiarism.  We need to recognize that plagiarism,
re-termed as notetaking, is also a skill and, therefore acceptable in
some circumstances.   But, original work (as opposed to plagiarism)
might be simply asking too much of students in many circumstances.What
circumstances I am not too sure of.  I was once asked by a student how
the teacher can expect him to write an original report if he did not
have the original materials and did not have the experience with which
to analyze them.  Good question.

Fourth, while we want students to do research and write reports, there
are many factors which we need to re-think.  I did like the idea of
doing a report with the students and, probably, if the teachers were
encouraged to actually write one of their own reports, they might
re-consider what it is that they are actually doing.  The "hidden
agenda" that we and the students know about.  I think of the teacher who
constantly had his students research and write reports on every
university-level topic he could think of, assigning "The mating habits
of the tse-tse fly" to every one of his classes. (NOT joking, fellow
librarians!).

And, finally, since students pattern themselves on what they see, I
wonder if their seeing photocopies of tests, chapters of books,
pictures, etc. is not really saying to them "when you're an adult, it's
o.k. to plagiarize" and their "hidden agenda" is to ensure they know how
to do it.  Another question.


--
Earl Sande, Upper School Librarian,
International School of Tanganyika,
United Nations Road,
Post Office Box 2651,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
(e-mail : sandes@wilken-dsm.com)

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