The Cite Right Program

Obviously plagiarism is a big deal, especially at the University level. However many students, whether through lack of preparation or through lack of knowledge of documentation requirements, plagiarize often unintentionally. The Cite Right Program is a way for us to help students understand how to avoid stealing someone else's words, and instead use others' ideas, documenting appropriately, to compliment their own. I've worked with a couple of students and therefore, Sherry has asked me to share a little bit about what I've done with those of you who might not be sure how to approach this task of helping a student to have a good understanding of plagiarism so that he or she does not plagiarize again. The way I approached my first student worked well. Although, there are always improvements to be made. He brought in the paper that contained plagiarism. First, we looked at that paper to see where he went wrong. We discussed the importance of documentation, and about how using a source is supposed to support your paper. We didn't try to rewrite that particular paper because the paper was not to be resubmitted. Next, we used the resources Sherry provided to better comprehend the difference between plagiarism and non-plagiarism. I told him as we used the resources to ask me about any questions he had. When he had a question, we would talk about it until he surely understood that specific concept. After completing the quizzes and other resources, we still had time, which I thought we could spend productively. Because he claimed that lack of preparation was the main reason for his plagiarism, I asked the student to bring in a book that he would be reading for a future class and together we thought of a possible thesis for a possible future paper. Also, I was able to help him understand the correct way to approach a paper. He read the book, developed a thesis, and began to research articles and books written by critics. We worked on using their ideas to support his own, and we practiced correctly documenting those sources. This approach worked for that particular student. Of course, every student is different. And as we have different types of students, we can share our experiences with each other. This is how we will continue to learn and continue to improve our new program.