by Bruce Rosenbloom

Q: What is your role when it comes to the issue of plagiarism?

As Associate Provost for Academic Affairs one of my responsibilities is to respond to faculty concerns regarding the Honor Code. I am the person in the Provost's Office who keeps track of the students who are reported for academic dishonesty. I also talk to a lot of students who get themselves in trouble because of plagiarism, about how they should deal with the issue and what they need to do to make certain it doesn't happen in the future.

Q: Do we have any (formal or informal) way to know how prevalent the student plagiarism problem is at Adelphi? If not, how prevalent do you estimate it is?

There are no ways to ever know for sure how much plagiarism exists. Suffice it to say that Adelphi, like every other school, is not without plagiarism. The impression I have from talking to faculty is that there is less of it than there was four or five years ago, but there is still too much.

Q: Has there been faculty reluctance to use formal procedures with a student caught plagiarizing?

This question has to be answered yes and no! Since the adoption of the Honor Code in 2002-2203 faculty are obligated to report all instances of academic dishonesty and, for the most part, I think they are doing that.

The Code allows the matter to be settled between the faculty member and the student if the student is a first time offender. That is what faculty have chosen to do. Rather than insist on turning it over to the Committee for Academic Honesty, they have dealt with it informally. The Code allows for that. If the student is reported for the second time, then it must go to the Committee.

Q: How long have these procedures been in place? Are they currently being revised?

This is the second year of the Honor Code and it is too early to be considering revisions. As we get used to functioning under the code, I think issues will come up and amendment certainly could be suggested.

Q: When it comes to plagiarism, are undergraduates treated differently from graduate students?

If a graduate student is accused of plagiarism, the charge is sent directly to the Dean, and the Dean makes a decision and imposes the penalty. If the student believes s/he has been treated improperly, the student can appeal to the Committee for Academic Honesty. Graduate students have been through college and are assumed to know what cheating is, and isn't.

In many cases undergraduates plagiarize because they aren't really sure what it is. Faculty members are much more likely to give a student some benefit of the doubt if they think it was because of ignorance. Also, faculty might be inclined to give a freshman or sophomore a break that they wouldn't to a junior or senior. This is a reason why the Code requires faculty to report all cheating even if they settle it themselves. The individual faculty member would have no way of knowing if a student had cheated with another instructor and was making the same appeal based on supposed ignorance.

How can faculty prevent student plagiarism-e.g. discussing the issue in class?

I think the single most important thing a faculty member can do is make clear the expectations of the highest level of integrity. A culture of academic honesty goes a long way to eliminating cheating. Different discussions need to take place depending on the level of the class. Graduate students are assumed to know what is expected in this regard and if they are unclear, it is assumed they know enough to ask. It is probably the same for juniors and seniors. Freshmen might not understand that it's plagiarism if they paraphrase someone else's work and not give credit. Or they might hand in a paper that is all quotations and think they have done original research. So it is very helpful to use class time to talk about what they should--and should not--do in order to make sure the work they are handing in is really their work. Examples of what is plagiarism and what isn't can be shown to students. But still, the most important aspect is to demand integrity and to deal with cheating immediately and appropriately.

Q: If a faculty member strongly suspects that a student's writing has been plagiarized, what immediate steps would you recommend?

Confront the student. Explain why you think it is plagiarism. Tell the student that this information must be turned over to the Provost. If the instructor wants to reach an understanding with a student regarding the punishment, then that can be done. If not, the matter must be turned over to the Committee on Academic Honesty.

My personal opinion is that if an instructor is convinced that the student deliberately attempted to cheat, the minimum penalty should be failure in the course, not just for that assignment. I would explain to students that "now that I have caught you cheating on this piece I assume you cheated on everything." It is on my syllabus that cheating means failure, so students know from the outset that if they were caught cheating they would fail the course.

Q: How much discretion does a faculty member have in dealing with an incident informally (like telling the student to re-write the paper and reduce the grade substantially)?

The faculty member is obliged to report the incident to the Provost. Beyond that, for first offenses the faculty member has complete discretion unless the department or school has standards that apply.

Q: With the ease of copying information from websites, and the potential to buy papers over the web, is catching plagiarism becoming more difficult?

This is one I really can't answer. The Web has exploded since I stopped teaching. I know that most experienced teachers can pick out plagiarism even when they cannot identify the source. Also, the web provides tools to check for plagiarism as well.

Q: Briefly, if a faculty member wishes to pursue a plagiarism charge against a student, what are the main steps in the process?

As I have said above, the faculty member reports the matter to the Provost and if s/he wants can turn it over to the Committee on Academic Honesty. The Committee will conduct an investigation and hold a hearing. It recommends penalties as well.

Q: If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, what are the penalties?

It can be anything from failure on that assignment to expulsion for repeat offenders.