How effective are electronic plagiarism detection systems and does it matter how you use them?

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How effective are electronic plagiarism detection
systems and does it matter how you use them?

• Dr Jo Badge (_at_jobadge)
• School of Biological Sciences
• University of Leicester

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http//bit.ly/eDetection
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(No Transcript)
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Electronic Detection Systems

• Software to automatically search for non-original
  text
• dynamic list of software online

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Plagiarism detection services
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Effectiveness

• Cross comparison reviews mostly focus on
  usability
• Live testing with scoring for detection rates
  carried out by Debora Weber-Wuff
• Rates Safeassign above Turnitin in terms of
  detection rates

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Mode of use prevention

1. Long term effects
2. Risk / benefit perceptions
3. Punishment as education

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1. Long term effects Culwin, 2006
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Deterrent Badge, 2007
Detection rate/
pilot 2.06
Year 1 2.73
Year 2 0.94
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2. Risk / benefit perceptions Woessner 2004
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3. Punishment as education

• Punitive tutor-supported access
• Students shown originality report prior to
  penalty
• Most common but least studied
• Form of student access to originality reports

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Mode of use student access

1. Punitive supported access
2. Outside institutional systems
3. Institutional open access
4. Tutor supported access

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2. Outside institutional systems
first spelling check second grammar check
third originality check
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3. Institutional open access

• Still fairly rare
• IFS
• York (controlled training session trial)

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Braumoeller Gaines, 2001

• Marked on grading curve
• Feedback on effect of plagiarism on grades

Assignment 1 Plagiarised papers Assignment 2 Plagiarised papers
Politics 100 C (n78) 10 1
Politics 100 D (n73) 9 0
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4. Tutor supported access

• Ledwith Risquez, 2008

Proportion of matching text for both assignments
submitted through Turnitin
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Ledwith Risquez, 2008
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Barrett Malcolm, 2006
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Davis Carroll, 2009

• Reduction in
• Amount of plagiarism (45.5)
• Over-reliance on one source (45.5)
• Citation errors (62)
• Insufficient paraphrasing (38)
• Percentages total final drafts showing reduction
  where n66 (over 3 years 2007-2009)

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http//bit.ly/eDetection
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Acknowledgements

• Higher Education Academy
• University of Leicester Teaching Enhancement
  Forum
• GENIE CETL

Dr Nadya Yakovchuk
Dr Jon Scott