What is plagiarism?
by Sara Slaughter (Dr. Susan Garza’s graduate seminar, Spring 2007, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
Plagiarism is viewed, by many, as a part of the development of a writer. As such, traditional definitions of plagiarism must be reworked to express this change in thinking.
Wrong Behavior
- The traditional understanding of plagiarism has a negative connotation and situates the instructor at the center of the learning experience as the judge rather than placing the student or his or her writing at the center. It also defines plagiarism as being a “wrong” behavior and is often associated with stealing, morality, ethics, deception and failure.
Leight, David. “Plagiarism as Metaphor” Perspectives on Plagiarism. Ed. Lise Buranen and Alice M. Roy. Albany: State U of New York P, 1999. 221–230.
Right Behavior
- Much of the recent scholarship devoted to plagiarism suggests that it is unintentional. For many students plagiarism is not a vicious act made in effort to cheat. Rather, students struggling to develop their writing may fall back on various forms of plagiarism to fill in their knowledge gaps. Especially, since the concept of paraphrasing is abstract in nature, many students attempting to utilize this technique in their writing, unintentionally commit plagiarism.
Barrett, Ruth and Anna L. Cox. “ ‘Atleast they’re learning something’: the hazy line between collaboration and collusion.” Assesment & Evaluations in Higher Education 30.2 (2005): 107–122.
Current views of plagiarism:
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Transgressive Intertexuality
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Patchworking
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Collusion
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Consumptive Practice
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Transgressive/Nontransgressive Intertexuality
- Plagiarism has also been redefined as intertextuality. This understanding of plagiarism as intertextuality realizes that writers are not writing in a vacuum but instead are writing within a textual conversation. Transgressive intertextuality most closely resembles traditional plagiarism and illustrates a writer’s uncertainty of the norms and expectations of writing within a given discourse.
Chandrasoma, Ranamukalage, Celia Thompson, and Alastair Pennycook. “Beyond Plagiarism:
Transgressive and Nontransgressive Intertextuality.” Journal of Language Identity 3.3
(2004): 171–93.
Patchworking
- Patchworking is when a student lifts a passage from a text and changes a few words, the order, but essentialy maintains the orginal meaning and structure of the original. According to many scholars, namely Rebecca Moore Howard, patchworking is part of learning how to write. It is, in effect, a kind of imitation and modeling practice. Writers should not be insituationaly punihshed for patworking but instrutors may grade according to the student’s current stage in development.
Howard, Rebecca Moore. “Plagiarism Penimento.” Journal of Teaching Writing (Summer 1993).
See also Drew University Plagiarism Site
Collusion
- Collusion is not just stealing or not giving credit but rather when students collaborate without permission. Although collusion is often considered to be deceptive in nature, it is imporant to remember that learning and writing is social in nature. Of course students will ask each other questions, work with one another, and may even create their own peer-editing circles. Considering that many consider writing, a social act, collusion exemplifies just how the lines between collaboration and cheating are blurred in academia.
Barrett, Ruth and Anna L. Cox. “ ‘Atleast they’re learning something’: the hazy line between collaboration and collusion.” Assesment & Evaluations in Higher Education 30.2 (2005): 107–122.
Plagiarism as a Consumptive Practice
- Thanks to the increasing privatization of higher education students have become more susceptible to finding ways to buy their way through college. Since the academy and society does not value failure as part of the learning process students are opting out of developing writing and are buying essays. Students normally purchase papers either online or from other students. Until failure is embraced as one step toward gaining proficiency students will continue to engage in the plagiarism as a consumptive practice model because there is little to no incentive for the learning process.
Sultmarsh, Sue. “Graduating Tactics: theorizing plagiarism as consumptive practice.” Journal of Further and Higher Education 28.4 (2004): 445–54.
Further Points to Consider:
- How should instructors approach the issue of collaborative learning and the notion of plagiarism?
- How can we promote writing as a social act across the curriculum?
- How can instructors and Writing Program Administrators work toward revising intuitional policy reflecting a post-plagiarism approach?
- How to educate administration and other faculty about post-plagiarism?
