Braumoeller and Gaines (2001, American Political Science Association, http://www.apsanet.org/PS/dec01/braumoeller.cfm) deduced that one paper in eight submitted in an introductory course involved plagiarism. But not all transgressions are deliberate; many more arise from lack of understanding or skills. These call for response through instruction rather than through punishment. Studies indicate that stern warnings and threats do not reduce plagiarism, but instruction does. Thus teaching, not preaching, seems to serve as the more effective prevention.

Where data is collected, minority students seem disproportionately more involved in plagiarism cases.  This reflects a fact that not all cultures understand the cherished academic concept of the propriety of ideas or the relationship between the student and "authority." Even students who have internalized the concept may still be unskilled in the process of integration of material and attribution of sources, ideas and facts. After we have mastered formal academic writing, it is easy to forget the process or difficulty through which we obtained mastery, and thus it is too easy to forget to convey to students the details needed to avoid problems.

Consider the following:

— How does one distinguish between common knowledge and that which requires attribution?

 —How does one paraphrase or summarize without plagiarism?

 —How does mastery of embedded clauses, and passive verbs, impact this process?

—When should one use a direct quotation, instead of a paraphrase or summary?

—How does one integrate voices of others into one's own work when one is not clear about what "voice" is?

—How does one "know" when a synonym used in a paraphrase reflects the author's intention or produces another resonance?

—What are signal phrases, and how do they differ in MLA ,  APA or some other styles?

—What are the mechanics involved in constructing a References Cited or References page, and what is the acceptable relationship between entries and the in-text citations?

Accusations of suspected plagiarism can bring horrific consequences for the accused, immense drain on morale and personal time of faculty directly affected and those indirectly affected as members of committees who must review cases. Such cases sometimes strain even legal and financial resources of institutions. (See “Honor for Honor’s Sake?” Chronicle of Higher Education, May 3, 2002, p. A-35). Class time spent on points such as those above is worthwhile, because that time will be minimal in comparison to that dealing with the fallout that even one plagiarism case will require.

Other useful resources

"Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA Statement on Best Practices" (http://www.ilstu.edu/~ddhesse/wpa/positions/WPAplagiarism.pdf)

Indiana University's "Understanding Plagiarism" (http://www.education.indiana.edu/~frick/plagiarism/)

The  UK's Learning and Teaching Support Network "A Briefing on Plagiarism" (http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/application.asp?section=generic&app=resources.asp&process=full_record&id=10).

The web page for the Center for Academic Integrity http://www.academicintegrity.org/ at Duke University's Kenan Institute for Ethics contaims links to articles about plagiarism and other ethical issues.