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Dr. Larry Cebula Associate Professor of History |
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Instructors
hope to stop plagiarism Managing Editor
A
handful of Southern instructors are in the trial stages of experimenting
with a new Web site that can help recognize papers that may show signs
of plagiarism. The
site, www.turnitin.com, searches thousands of online documents and other
published reports for similar words and phrases. If a student s paper
proves to be plagiarized, severe punishment is likely to occur. In
Dr. Larry Cebula s classes, an automatic F will be given. And
if there s one thing Cebula hates about his job, it s catching
students who plagiarize. I
find it deeply unsettling, said Cebula, associate professor of
history. I hate it. Last
year, a student in his senior year handed in a research paper for his
Modern Latin America course. It s
an assignment that almost begs for plagiarism, Cebula said. The
current events paper was plagiarized, causing Cebula to give the student
a failing grade. He
thought he graduated, Cebula said. There was nothing I could do
for him. Dr.
Paul Teverow, professor of history and Faculty Senate president,
recommended to the academic policies committee that the Web site should
be considered to be included in Southern instruction. It
makes sense that we give it a try, Teverow said. It s easy to
work with. The
site boasts itself as the world s most widely recognized and trusted
resource for preventing Internet plagiarism. It s used by thousands of
high schools and colleges around the United States and throughout the
world. The site said it now is used in every post-secondary institution
in the United Kingdom. Faculty
that s interested should give it a try, Teverow said. I hope in
the time being, people keep an open mind about this. One
of Cebula s main concerns about the problem is how students think
instructors want to purposely find students in the act. There s
a misconception that we like catching it, he said. We hate
catching it. In
six years, Cebula has had four plagiarism incidents. It
was the most unpleasant work, he said. Matthew
Hug, senior secondary education and history major, turned in a 15-page
paper for his Women s History class through the new plagiarism Web
site. I m
all for it, Hug said. I think it s a great idea. Hug
said he s not worried about whether or not the Web site will catch any
suspicious material. It
was as honest material as I could put together, Hug said. Cebula
said he hopes in time the entire campus will use some type of plagiarism
prevention program. In
the end, however, Cebula knows why the Web site should be considered to
be used throughout the campus. I have an obligation for the students who don t cheat, he said. It s protecting the degree. |
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Dr. Larry Cebula Associate Professor of History |
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Dr. Paul Teverow Associate Professor of History |