Looks at one of many web gimmicks that claim to foil plagiarism detection software by substituting synonyms in a passage that has been cut and pasted.

1. Can you “Outsmart” Plagiarism
Software and your Professor?
Proper paraphrasing, web gimmicks
and the reliability of Wikipedia
Prof. Maury Brown

2. The Claim from
http://www.outsmart.it

3. So, I tested it out. I went to Wikipedia
I searched for the
dangers of smoking
and went to this
article.

4. I went to their
website and pasted
the paragraph into
the top window and
received my “new,
improved,
plagiarism-free,
guaranteed”
wondrous prose.
You get such gems as
“inclines to rise”

5. Here are my favorite
garbled sentences,
formed by a software
attempting to simply
insert synonyms to
“outsmart” plagiarism
software.
PS: these sorts of
obvious synonym
troubles indicate to
profs that a bad
Yes, this actually says paraphrase (e.g.
“blood boats” instead plagiarism) is at hand.
of blood vessels.

6. Hmm… but what about “beating”
plagiarism software?
I pasted the “new,
improved”
Outsmart.it
paragraph into
SafeAssign. Guess
what? Yes, that says
90% matching.

7. But wait, there’s MORE.
The plagiarism
software DID note
that some of the
“re-written”
paragraph was from
Wikipedia (where I
got it). BUT, the
majority of the
paragraph was from
a different web site.

8. Hmmm… Did Wikipedia Credit their
source? Let’s see!
Here is the
paragraph. See any
citations?
Oh wait, there’s one
at the very end of
the paragraph. …

9. It was #51 … Hmmm… Doesn’t Match

10. So ….
• No citation in that paragraph that is a 100%
match from
http://english.turkcebilgi.com/Tobacco+smoke
• No listing of the above cite ANYWHERE on the
Wikipedia page

11. Much of the content on the Wikipedia Page matches
http://english.turkcebilgi.com/Tobacco+smoke

12. That site admits to copying
“This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org – the free encyclopedia
created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or
edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia
encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not
assume the accuracy of this particular article.”
Would you trust this info for your
academic research paper?

13. Let’s Review
• Changing a few words or using synonyms for
certain words IS NOT proper paraphrasing. It is
plagiarizing.
• A software like “outsmart.it” does not create
proper paraphrases; it encourages plagiarism.
– Its very premise is to plagiarize, as scanning and
substituting synonyms is NOT paraphrasing.
– It does not save you time; it makes you look silly.

14. “Outsmart” it?
• It does not outsmart anyone – not the professor,
not the plagiarism software
– Remember, the program found the “outsmarted” text
had a 90% match to sites on the Web.
• It also creates ridiculous sentences and phrases
like “blood boats,” and grammar & syntax errors
like “inclines to rise blood cholesterol”
• The botched prose is like a big “red flag” to
professors – “I substituted synonyms and didn’t
even care to re-read the text to see if it makes
any sense.”

15. Using Outsmart.it or Improper
Paraphrasing Gets You …
• A zero on the assignment
• A referral to the dean
• Depending on the weight of the assignment, a
possible “F” in the class.
• A loss of trust with your professor
• A lack of personal integrity
• A lot of wasted time … it *will* be noticed.
Image from: http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/nikki-haley-report-card.jpg

16. Aside from plagiarism, using Wikipedia
is Unreliable for College Papers
• Unverified
• May be copied from elsewhere on the Web
(e.g. also be plagiarized)
• Disclaims itself: don’t count on it being
accurate.
– Can be helpful for finding actual primary sources if
you go to the References listed in the Wikipedia
article.

17. Conclusion
• Follow the research process and the writing
process
– Find credible sources through college databases
or through Google Scholar
– Paraphrase by putting passages into your own
words (don’t just substitute synonyms) and CITE
the source the ideas came from (in-text
parenthetical citation that corresponds to
Reference Entry)

18. Conclusion
• Do NOT be tempted by so-called short cuts
– They are obvious;
– They are insulting;
– They WASTE your time in the end.
• Take pride in your work! Have integrity!
• Use the sources you find to bolster YOUR
OWN thoughts; you are expected in college to
contribute to the discourse, not just repeat it.

19. Conclusion
• Tell your friends not to fall for gimmicks like
“outsmart.it”
• Contact your professor if you have any
questions or concerns, or if you have difficulty
with an assignment.
• Follow the steps to proper paraphrasing and
quoting.
• When in doubt, CITE!