Plagiarism
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Plagiarism Overview
Plagiarism is a very serious offence and defined by Bournemouth University as:
- the direct importation into one's work of more than a single phrase from another person's work without the use of quotation marks and identification of the source;
- making a copy of all or part of another person's work and presenting it as one's own by failing to disclose the source;
- making extensive use of another person's work, either by summarising or paraphrasing it merely by changing a few words or altering the order of presentation, without acknowledgement;
- the use of ideas of another person without acknowledgement of the source, or the submission or presentation of work as one's which is substantially the ideas or intellectual data of another.
JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service defines plagiarism as:
"....the presentation of someone else's work as though it were your own."
How can plagiarism be reduced?
Both staff and students have responsibilities where Plagiarism is concerned:
Responsibilities are to:
- ensure students are well informed about the consequences of Plagiarism and ensure the University Assessment Regulations are adhered to
- educate students about how to cite correctly [Citing References]
- be aware of staff and student workshops that are held to support the issues of Plagiarism
[Details of Staff Development workshops]
- the Academic Skills Community on myBU (Plagiarism section) contains further advice and related activities for students, there is also an avoiding plagiarism tutorial on myBU
- consider alternative assessment tasks with multiple solutions or modify those already in existence
- ensure the assessment is constructively aligned with the intended learning outcomes of the unit
- consider using the
University's current deterrent tool 'Turnitin' within myBU and ensure students are informed that the tool is there to 'help not hinder'.
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Are there any tools for assisting in the detection of plagiarism?
Turnitin is an online plagiarism detection and deterrent software integrated into myBU. It helps and encourages students to properly citate and check for potential plagiarism by comparing their work against continuously updated databases. The software provides an ‘originality report' which academics and students can use as a learning aid to ensure academic integrity.
It is important to note that the software alone cannot identify 'plagiarism' ; it simply provides a colour-coded 'Originality Report'. This report highlights text within the assignment that has been found at another source and provides relevant links to them.
It does not make decisions about a piece of work or its author; rather it provides information on which a tutor can make a judgement about whether plagiarism has taken place .
- Staff resources for Turnitin are available within myBU from the “myBU Staff Support Community”.
- Student resources for Turnitin are available within myBU from the “myBU: Academic Skills Community”
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What to do if plagiarism is detected
The discovery of plagiarism will be a staged process and defined by the Academic Offences Procedure.
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Resources
Bournemouth University Resources
- Bournemouth University - Academic Policies, Regulations and Procedures
For more information about assessment regulations and procedures, take a look on the portal at sections E and F as well as Academic Offences Procedures | Flow Chart.
- Bournemouth University: Information to Support Students
A useful page to direct students to and also gives help on citing correctly.
External Resources 
- Assessing students: cheating and plagiarism by McDowell, L. & Brown, S. (2001) ( University of Northumbria ) Higher Education Academy
- Plagiarism: A JISC Good Practice Guide by Carroll, J. & Appleton, J. (2001) Oxford Brookes University
- Plagiarism, prevention, deterrence and detection by Culwin, F. & Lancaster, T. (2001) Higher Education Academy
- Referencing and plagiarism in Computer Science: exploring the effect of culture and learning mode through development and evaluation of a practical workshop by Reid, J.(2006)
- The concept of plagiarism by Johnston , B. (2003) Higher Education Academy
- What kinds of solutions can we find for plagiarism? By Carroll, J. (2001) Higher Education Academy
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