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Annotated bibliographies

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Preventing plagiarism

What you can do to make plagiarism less likely in your classroom (Council of Writing Program Administrators, 2003):

• Support the research and writing process. Build activities, such as peer review and submission of early drafts, into the class structure.
• State it in writing. Policies and expectations for documenting sources and avoiding plagiarism should be provided to students in writing.
• Create original assignments. This reduces the likelihood that stock papers on the topic will be available on the internet.
• Teach students proper citation methods. Ensure that students understand proper methods of citation.
• Discuss the challenges. Discuss the particular challenges involved with writing and citation and suggest strategies for students to overcome them.
• Engage students suspected of plagiarism. Meet with students who are suspected of plagiarism to determine whether the misuse of sources was intentional.

Identifying sources of plagiarized material

If you suspect that plagiarism has occurred you may wish to identify the source of the plagiarized material. Below are a few detection methods to try.

• Detection method 1: Search the web for a unique or distinct phrase
  • To search for the exact phrase enclose it in quotation marks or try Google's Advanced Search.
• Detection method 2: Search the Library’s main search box  for items in the bibliography/reference list
  • If the item is not available through the MRU library or readily available on the web this may be an indicator that this work is not original. In this case you will want to have a discussion with your student about how they obtained the material.
• Detection method 3: Interview your student about their research process.
  • A student who has done all their research themselves should be able to give a clear account of the material used in their paper and where the information was sourced.

How can the library help?

• Library instruction sessions. Librarians can include discussion of the importance of proper citation techniques and provide students with tips on correctly incorporating research into their work. Contact your Librarian or connect with the chair of the Library to book a class.
• Citation information. Citation information, including custom MRU handouts on various styles are available on this page.
• Assistance tracking down potentially plagiarized information. Librarians are available to help instructors search for original sources of information if plagiarism is suspected. Contact your subject librarian.
• Help plagiarism-proofing your assignments. Your subject librarian can help you develop assignments that make plagiarism less viable, like asking for bibliographies in advance, starting with annotated bibliographies and recommending topics that are less likely to have ready-made papers available. Contact your subject librarian