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The issue of plagiarism is a complex one. Some have been embracing the perspective that plagiarism and patchwriting are a natural step in the learning process. To learn more about this, you can read the following article on various kinds of plagiarism:
CLICK here to read “Reframing Anti-Plagiarism Efforts in the Library” by Amy Burger
(available through Digital Commons at Kennesaw State University, accessible Word document available upon request)
Questions to Think About as You Read
How did you learn to write within any given academic discipline? Have you ever used patchwriting? Why or why not?
What do you think or Burger’s argument? Do you agree or disagree?
How can you address plagiarism and citation practices with the students you are working with in a way that help them understand when and why to cite as well as how and see citation as a positive instead of a negative?
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Patchwriting and “decriminalizing” Unintentional Plagiarism
As many scholars have noted, plagiarism refers to a variety of phenomena, which vary widely (Buranen, 2009, p. 25; Haviland & Mullin, 2009, p. 130; Blum, 2009, p. 6; DeSena, 2007, p. 47). Rebecca Moore Howard, director of the Writing Center at Syracuse University, has argued that some forms of plagiarism, in particular one known as patchwriting, or “copying from a source text and then deleting some words, altering grammatical structures, or plugging in one synonym for another” is a necessary and productive step in students’ development of proper citation skills, and suggests its “decriminalization” (Buranen, 2009, p. 26). Now, “many in composition studies have now been persuaded of the rightness of [Howard’s] position” (Blum, 2009, p. 27). Writing Center Director Lise Buranen extends Howard’s call, saying “much of what is labeled as plagiarism indicates a need for consciousness-raising and instruction (of both faculty and students), rather than censure or punishment” (2009, p. 25). Further evidence that learning about citation contributes to the reduction of plagiarism comes from researchers Lauren Breen and Margaret Maassen, who found that “many incidents of plagiarism are likely to result from ignorance and poor skill development,” instead of the common perception that they are due to intentional cheating (2005).
Plagiarism and “SAfe places”
Distinguishing between intentional and unintentional plagiarism is especially important when the students are early in their academic careers (Cvetkovic & Anderson, 2010, p. 80). Two valuable partners in the attempt to combat student plagiarism are writing centers and libraries, places that exist expressly for helping students, free of the power dynamic of grading; Buranen has labeled these “safe places” (2009, p. 30).
Why plagiarize?
The first is that the student was out of time, and knowingly plagiarized to meet a deadline (personal communication, April 18, 2017), a common reason given for plagiarism (see also Twomey, White, & Sagendorf, 19-25). The second is that the student had lost track of the citation information, but used the source anyway, citing it incorrectly, or not at all (personal communication, April 18, 2017).
Both reasons for plagiarism accusations arise not from a lack of understanding the concept of plagiarism, but rather difficulty in employing this understanding.
WORK CITED
Burger, A. (2018). “Reframing Anti-Plagiarism Efforts in the Academic Library.” Georgia Library Quarterly, 55(1). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/glq/vol55/iss1/11
