Student plagiarism is an increasing problem in universities and colleges of advanced education with the rise in web‐based information. While plagiarism among university students has always existed, the ease and anonymity of the internet makes it simple to copy the work of others and to pass it off as your own. Despite the threat of plagiarism detection software students persist in copying information without acknowledging its source in the mistaken belief that anything on the internet is copyright free. The aim of the book Combating Student Plagiarism is to provide practical guidelines for librarians to assist in educating students in the importance of plagiarism and how to avoid unauthorised copying of copyright information, through academic collaboration between librarians and teaching faculties.
Author Lynn D. Lampert is an experienced reference librarian who has authored books on information literacy and student plagiarism as well as many other issues in librarianship and is currently Chair of Reference and Instructional Services and Coordinator of Information Literacy at the California State University of Northridge. She stresses the importance of student information literacy skills sessions conducted by academic librarians to help raise student awareness of, and reduce the practice of, plagiarism. There is a discussion of the confusion that exists with copyright illustrated by examples such as videotaping a live concert to play on YouTube (a clear violation of copyright!) to the grey areas like Harry Potter fans creating original stories based on the characters by J. K. Rowling in breach of Warner Brothers copyright. The author believes that the blurring of the idea of copyright and plagiarism confuses the issues and may lead to unintentional plagiarism by students.
Piracy of music, DVDs and games is increasingly common, especially by young people who appear to be unconcerned about the ethical issues in stealing or copying the work or ideas of others without their permission or acknowledgement. Many students “remain unaware and uneducated about the proper ways to cite materials and conduct research ethically” (p. 4). This book addresses the situation by finding practical solutions that can be implemented by academics working in co‐operation with librarians.
Solutions involving technology may be used, such as plagiarism‐detection services like Turnitin.com, along with new technologies such as reference and citation management software like Refworks. In addition “embedded‐librarian” programs can be helpful where a librarian is attached to a course through linkages in web management systems like WebCT and Blackboard. Web 2.0 software solutions such as blogs, podcasts and wikis also have the potential to help academic staff and librarians to educate students about plagiarism.
The book includes real‐life examples such as Tufts University which uses the Research Paper Navigator learning module, linked into university courses through a Blackboard learning management system to promote writing issues such as “inadvertent plagiarism” (www.library.tufts.edu/researchpaper/). The book includes useful examples of anti‐plagiarism programs and publications for specific disciplines including biology, music, engineering and history. The list of tactics that can be used in the information literacy sessions for students includes using real‐life high profile cases, demonstrating university citation software and explaining university campus policies, and these ideas would be very helpful for librarians conducting student information sessions at universities and colleges. A detailed 19 page list of references, further reading and an index conclude the book.
Combating Student Plagiarism attempts to examine some of the issues involved and offer practical methods to deal with student plagiarism using a holistic approach through promotion and education programs. This book is an informative and straightforward read on a concept that is often complex and misunderstood by both students and academic staff and I would recommend this title for academics and librarians who are concerned about plagiarism.
