Problems With Assignments

Plagiarism

• Here is a direct quote from

University of Pennsylvania Code of Academic Integrity,

http://www.upenn.edu/osl/acadint.html

– Plagiarism: using the ideas, data, or language of another without specific or proper acknowledgment.

– Example: copying another person’s paper, article, or computer work and submitting it for an assignment, cloning someone else’s ideas without attribution, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, etc.

• It’s a good idea to read this document

From the first assignment

• “If you use photographs or extensive quotes, be sure that they are either in the public domain or that you have permission to use them. Supply references to everything that you borrow from somewhere else. This is a legal requirement.”

Academic Honesty

• Many of you have committed failing offences • Possible penalties for plagiarism: – No credit given for the assignment – Failure in the course – Suspension from the University • From my very first set of slides: • Penalty for first offense: –You will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct –You will receive an F in the course • I won’t be doing that this time

Kinds of plagiarism

• The following definitions are excerpted from

PLAGIARISM: What it is, and How to Avoid It

http://www.library.upenn.edu/scitech/engineering/ee/ plagiarize.html

– Complete plagiarism – Near-complete plagiarism – Patchwork plagiarism – Lazy plagiarism – Self plagiarism

Complete plagiarism

• Complete plagiarism: Submitting something that has been written by someone else as your own work • It is not enough to paraphrase it or reference it • This is a technical course, and I want to teach the technology of Web building,

but...

– That does not give you the right to steal your material – I have emphasized that pages should have

content;

this must be

your

content

Near-complete plagiarism

• Near-complete plagiarism: Taking large portions of a text, and just interspersing your own comments, or adding conclusions – Most of the work has still been done by somebody else • Putting content on the web is not very different than writing an essay – The presumption is that it is

your

content – If it is someone else’s content with just your additions, this is plagriasm

Patchwork plagiarism

• Patchwork plagiarism: Taking ideas, phrases, or entire sentences from one or more sources and rearranging them – This is difficult to assess at the “idea” level – Common phrases are not a problem, but clearly original turns of phrase should not be copied verbatim • Almost none of us are smart enough to have any really original ideas • All of us can have our own opinions, likes and dislikes, points of view, etc.

• Analogy: All stories have one of a very few basic plots, but –

Every one of us in here

can write an original story

Lazy plagiarism

• Lazy plagiarism: Failing to distinguish adequately between your own work and that of others – Failing to put quote marks around direct quotations – Missing or inadequate footnotes or references – Using another’s language – Failing to give sources (including sources for photos) • Problem: It is difficult to distinguish this from deliberate wrongdoing • “Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.” -- Napoleon Bonaparte • However, neither malice nor incompetence deserves a good grade

Self plagiarism

• Self plagiarism: Using the same work to satisfy the requirements for more than one course – Also known as “double dipping” – This is permissible with the consent of

both

instructors • Self plagiarism is not a concern in

this

course – While I

do

care about content, my primary concern is how you manipulate that content – This does

not

excuse other types of plagiarism – You do

not

have automatic permission to use material developed in this course for some other course

Problems in this class

• Complete plagiarism: 4 cases – In two cases, references were given,

not including

a reference to the page that was plagiarized • Near-complete plagiarism: 1 case • Patchwork plagiarism: 3 cases • Lazy plagiarism: 5 cases • Self plagiarism: Not considered • No observed problems: 8 people – These counts are approximate

What you should do, part I

• First:

Don’t contact me,

either to apologize or to ask if you’re one of the people I caught – You should know if you’re guilty • If you are unsure, then you almost certainly in my list for “patchwork” or “lazy” plagiarism – I’ve spent enough of my time on this already • Secondly,

fix the problem

and send me a new page or pages by Wednesday evening – If I don’t have new work from you by Thursday, I will contact you with specific (and probably more strict) requirements

What you should do, part II

• Complete or near-complete plagiarism: – This is a violation of copyright law – You should either: •

Completely

revise and rewrite your pages, avoiding even paraphrases of the original, or • Choose a new topic entirely, or • Drop the course – I realize that some of you simply had no idea of the law or of the plagiarism rules of the University • You should now have a much clearer idea • A second violation will result in an F for the course – Be extra careful!

What you should do, part III

• Patchwork plagiarism: – You are the people most likely to be surprised by the plagiarism rules and definitions – Nevertheless, you too should completely revise your site and/or change your topic – Paraphrasing is not enough; there should be some

value added

to your site, by incorporating your own opinions and experiences • Arranging the material in a novel way is also helpful • Don’t forget to give full credit to your sources

What you should do, part IV

• Lazy plagiarism (text): – Whole sentences or catchy phrases should be quoted and attributed, either in immediately adjacent text or by a footnote • According to this article in slashdot , “more than 115 million of voters in Brazil...” • ... there are “more than 115 million of voters in Brazil”

2

who are deciding this week...

• The attribution for text should always be visible on the page (at least as a link)

What you should do, part V

• Lazy plagiarism (photos): – A visible caption is always best – An invisible reference (as a comment, or as is usually acceptable – If necessary, you may say “Source not known” • There is a huge amount of royalty-free “clip art” available that you can use

without any reference

– Nevertheless, to be safe: • Always keep track of your sources • It doesn’t hurt to put an invisible reference (such as a comment) in your HTML source • Don’t assume that if you found it on the Web without a reference, it isn’t copyrighted

Copyright law

• Before 1989, a copyright notice had to appear on all copyrighted documents • As of March 1, 1989, a copyright is

assumed

on all published work • Adding a copyright notice, and filing for a copyright, helps to establish your legal rights, but is not required • If a document lacks a copyright notice, you cannot assume that it is not copyrighted • I am not a lawyer, and the above is not legal advice • Note, however, that plagiarism is plagriasm, whether the work being copied is copyrighted or not

“Fair use”

• There is a legal notion of “fair use” that says you can use copyrighted material

if

– Your use is personal, educational, or nonprofit – The material is factual and has been published – You only use a small amount of the material – Your use will not harm the marketability of the original • The “fair use” law is vague, and I am not a lawyer – See http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

• “Fair use” and (lack of) plagiarism are

not

same concept--do not confuse the two the

Summary

• Blanket amnesty – There is no penalty for

current

offences – No hard feelings--in a few weeks, I will have forgotten who was at fault for what (and don’t remind me!) –

However,

you still have to redo the HTML assignment – If the XML is in violation, it would be a good idea to redo that, but I won’t require it • Do, however, add a reference or references to the original work • Don’t sell yourself short--you

do

have the ability to contribute useful content to the Web • A second offence

will

result in an F for the course

The End