Staying vigilant to plagiarism and fabrication

By Gayle Golden

It's not news to you that plagiarism or fabrication can ruin the career of any journalist or strategic communications professional.

It's also not news to our students.

By the time they get to your class, students have been well informed about the risks of such academic misconduct. They're warned in the entry-level Jour 1001 and in Jour 3004, where all majors must pass a Moodle tutorial on avoiding plagiarism and fabrication. Every syllabus in every class includes boilerplate language reminding students that HSJMC has its own policy on these offenses, which "are considered extremely serious breaches of academic conduct AND professional practice in the media industries."

Blah, blah, blah. Yep. That's what I said. Such warnings can easily become droning background noise that stressed students might simply ignore. So whether we sound a piercing siren or honk a loud horn at least once a semester, we need to make plagiarism education a continuing part of every course.

Jane Kirtley

"Even though your students may tell you they 'get' plagiarism, and know it is a bad thing, they are often very fuzzy about what it means in their own work and in your particular course," Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law Jane Kirtley, who helped shape HSJMC's policy, says. "That is why it is worthwhile, both at the beginning and throughout the semester, to explain what YOU mean by plagiarism and what forms of attribution are required in your course."

Growing confusion
Today's media climate has only exacerbated that fuzzy understanding. In the swift pace of online exchange, attributions can easily converge. Sharing has become the norm. International students may get particularly confused when attribution is done differently in their culture of origin, Kirtley says.

What's more, students are stressed and anxious about performance. Cutting corners can be tempting. Because Google pervades students' personal life, an unchecked cut-and-paste mentality can creep into assignments.

"Although it is never an excuse or justification, remember that many students are overcommitted and stressed and will be tempted to cut corners to finish an assignment on deadline," Kirtley says. That makes it all the more important for instructors to reinforce proper citation forcefully, and police transgressions frequently.

While every faculty member understands the importance of academic integrity, professional adjuncts are in a unique position to help students understand just how devastating plagiarism or fabrication can be for a career.  This is one lesson you are primed to teach.  But dealing with it in the classroom itself requires some concerted thought. Her are some tips, drawn from Kirtley and other resources, to help you:

Define the terms
HSJMC's policy on plagiarism and fabrication is followed by an appendix with useful information on what these violations mean for journalism or strategic communications. It's also important to consider how this can be applied to your course. Take some time to review those definitions and apply them to what you're teaching.

It might be clear to everyone that students should not copy text and paste it into an assignment without quotation marks or attribution. But had they considered images or designs? To what extent does previously reported information deserve credit? What about phrases or data or original concepts? All these can constitute plagiarism if uncredited and represented as the student's own work. And when it comes to fabrication, do students understand that inventing any person, fact, image, anecdote or other detail is a deception when the audience expects it is true? These days, fabrication has taken on a whole new level of discussion -- a critical one for our students to consider not just once but as their understanding develops through our curriculum.

To help students with your course,  you can distribute printed copies of the policy and appendix in your class. Ask them to consider how the definitions apply to your assignments. Encourage questions they might have about any unclear issues. Provide examples to help them understand.

Know HSJMC's policy or violations
It's important you understand the policy governing such instances. As an instructor, you have lots of judgment about a situation, but when it comes down to it, a blatant case of plagiarism does call for certain actions.

Our policy is in keeping with the Student Conduct Code adopted by the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, which lists plagiarism and fabrication as instances of scholastic dishonesty offenses subject to appropriate disciplinary action. Because we regard these as serious breaches within journalism and communications professions, HSJMC takes a strong position. That means any documented and proven case will face two outcomes:

• The student will receive an F either on the assignment or the course, depending on the instructor's discretion;
• The instructor will file a report to the university's Office for Community Standards, where it will be processed further in ways that are appropriate to the student's case.

The student will have options beyond our actions. Those may include appeal or, for a first-time offense, a restorative justice approach that the Office for Community Standards has recently developed.

Use case studies to raise consciousness 
The Office for Community Standards has several case studies available for class discussions about academic misconduct. While some might not fit with your class, one or two might. If you find a good one there, or from another source, allow students to discuss it. Such sessions nurture insight as well as understanding of the rules. You can also ask guest speakers to talk about the professional impact of such transgressions. A few dire warnings from prospective employers can do wonders.

Use the HSJMC tutorial 
If your students can't remember taking the HSJMC tutorial on avoiding plagiarism and fabrication, tell them not to worry. The link should be in their syllabus. If they've lost it, here it is! This refresher course is available any time. If they're still confused, they can also take several other courses, including a $30 option offered by the Poynter Institute's News University, which Kirtley helped developed.

Reduce the likelihood
You can make it harder for students to commit these transgressions by changing up your writing assignments or by developing assignments that are unique to your course. If you are assigning term papers, you can use a plagiarism check service such as Turnitin through Moodle, which will scan the paper to see if its passages were drawn from other sources. The service will also be available through Canvas.

Be approachable
Create a non-judgmental attitude toward any questions students might have about citation or plagiarism before the assignment is due. If students think they will be safe and rewarded for asking you about an attribution or a citation, they'll likely ask -- which is what you want. As Kirtley says: "Make clear that you are always available to help them determine whether they have adequately credited a source and that you would rather that they turn in an assignment late, or not at all, rather than plagiarize it."

Trust your gut. 
If you suspect a student, don't discount your inkling. It's likely something is amiss. You might encounter a struggling student who suddenly turns in a flawless paper. Maybe you'll see a noticeable disconnect between the assignment instructions and the type of writing submitted. Tip-offs might also include different fonts in a paper, indicating cut-and-pasted material. You should investigate whatever draws your suspicion.

If you do suspect something, it's important to do the following:

• Note the nature of the problem. Document as much as you can about its wording or the missing sources. Sometimes a Google search of phrases will reveal the original source. Most of all, don't ignore it or think it's not important. Following through is an important step to educating the student and standing up for our values.
• Consult with others who can guide you through the process, including me or Rebecca Rassier in the student services office or to Chris Ison, the director of undergraduate studies. We will not only help you think through it but also accompany you if you do confront the student with your evidence, which you should not do alone. We are there to support you.
• Contact this student after you gather your evidence. Be sure you speak honestly and respectfully. Be clear about your concerns. Allow the student to explain the sourcing. Likewise, be sure you explain your documentation. Quite often, especially if you have done your due diligence, students will admit to the plagiarism. If the student denies it, listen. But if it's clearly documented, you will still need to report the case. 
• Decide on the consequence. Be kind but firm in following our policy. Remember: Our policy is clear. The instructor has some discretion on whether the F is for the assignment or the course, but it will be one or the other. 
• Remember why the policy exists. If the student is upset,  even if you choose an F just for the assignment, remember it's better for the student to learn zero tolerance now than to think it's OK to carry this into his or her professional life with no consequence. It's also important to remember that enforcing the policy is about HSJMC's reputation. A student who carries this habit into the workplace is not a good ambassador for our standards.
• File a report to the Office for Community Standards. You can find the guidelines for filing a report on its website along with other guidance for dealing with academic misconduct.

Consider the deeper issue
Keep in mind that while these transgressions are inexcusable, they are usually signs of deeper concerns. Students plagiarize or fabricate not just because they are stressed but often when they are fearful of failing or overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy.

It helps to let students know (and this is best done collectively to a class) that you understand these transgressions are unfortunate symptoms of other issues. You can say while you will not tolerate breaches of academic misconduct, and will follow HSJMC's policy, you remain most concerned about why they would choose to sabotage their success.

If you have a thought about plagiarism or other academic misconduct issues, post it below. And as usual, if you have a question or a comment for ProActive Teaching, please post one below or email me at ggolden@umn.edu.