This document summarizes a collaborative effort between three researchers to address plagiarism education among diverse student groups. It describes their individual backgrounds working to educate students and faculty on plagiarism. It then outlines several studies conducted between 2001-2014 that surveyed students on their understanding of plagiarism. The studies found that students were often confused about what constitutes plagiarism. The document concludes with recommendations for high schools and colleges to provide more intensive education on research, writing, and citation skills to help address plagiarism issues among students.

1. How a collaborative
approach can better serve
our diverse student groups
JAYATI CHAUDHURI, DEBORAH L. SCHAEFFER
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES
AMRITA MADRAY, ADELPHI UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK

2. Background
14 years experience, research and published on academic
honesty Plagiarism
Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus
Adelphi University

3. Outreach/Research
2001:
Student – anti plagiarism workshops
Faculty – support and workshops for faculty, campus, departments
Plagiarism websites – faculty and students
2005 - surveyed first year college students on their understanding of plagiarism
2007 – published an article on this study
 50 Freshman classes (900 students)
 17 participated and surveyed 326 students
(1 Composition Honors, and 16 Composition/Reading, Writing, and Interpretation classes)

4. Survey Questions and Results

5. Does copying from a book without crediting
the source constitute plagiarism?

6. Current Study
Spring 2014 –
Anti-plagiarism workshop for an Introduction to
Politics Class (19 undergraduates)

7. What is your Native Language?
14, 78%
1, 5%
1, 5%
1, 6%
1, 6%
Native Lang. English
Native Lang-French
Native Lang-Italian
Native Lang-Vietnamese
Native Lang-Malaysian

8. Students views regarding
plagiarism
I strongly
disagree with
it.
It is wrong (3)
N-Eng(2), Fre
It is a bad choice for
completing work and
should be avoided
It’s not a big
deal. N-Eng
Its is wrong and unfair
to those who actually
do their work
N-Ital
Its bad and
should be
regulated
Uninterested
Plagiarism
is not
positive

9. How do you rate this anti-
plagiarism workshop?
Some comments
36.8%
42.1%
21.1%
0.0%
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor
It was a little short and it
was hard to focus

10. Would you recommend this
workshop to your friends?
77.8%
22.2%
Yes
No
I feel like written sources
like our grammar books
from Adelphi do an
effective job.

11. Findings
Students:
Confused
Students think they know
Clueless (ones with no comments)
Synthesizing, paraphrasing, quoting and citing
Research Studies:
Future Study: work in progress: future plans

12. Recommendation
High School:
Early Intervention- intense reading, writing, and research curriculum
Reading, Writing and Research competency exam
College:
Continue to offer anti-plagiarism workshop
Academic expectation and offer help
One or two credit core course that integrates information literacy, research techniques, citation formatting
Collaboration- involve the campus- Mcabe quotes “ “it takes a whole campus community…to effectively
educate student”
Librarian – assisting faculty in designing writing assignments using a varity of sources
Continually reinforce the rules of writing and citing
Email: amadray@adelphi.edu or 516-877-3579

13. Collaboration with Citation
@ CSU Los Angeles
Deborah L. Schaeffer
APA Specialist/Librarian California State University,
Los Angeles

14. Background Notes – CSU Los Angeles
Comprehensive university
Bachelor’s & master’s degree programs in over 60 departments, divisions,
and schools
4,742 bachelor’s and master’s conferred in AY 2012/2013
Teacher credential programs
694 credentials awarded in AY 2012/2013
EdD in educational leadership
Joint PhD with UCLA in Special Education
Joint DNP (Doctorate in Nursing Practice) with 2 sister CSU campuses

15. Our Students by Numbers – Fall 2013
Full Time Load (12 or more units)
18,706 (Undergraduates and graduates combined)
Average study load is 12.2 for UG and 9.2 for Grads
Combined Part Time and Full Time Count
23,258 students
Largest Enrollment by UG programs
BS in Criminal Justice: 1,203 students
Largest Enrollment by Grad programs
MSW Social Work: 254 students

16. CSULA Students – Headcount by
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic/Latino
59%
Asian Americans
17%
White
11%
Unknown
6%
African American
5%
Two or More Races
2%
Pacific Islander
0.4% American Indian
0.1%

17. CSULA Federally Recognized
Hispanic Serving Institution (nearly 60% of student
population)
Asian American and Native American/Pacific Islander
Serving Institution (nearly 18%)
Minority Serving Institution

18. Characteristics of CSULA Student
Population
Sixty percent are female
Many are first generation college students
English may not be the primary language spoken in
the home (more than 100 language are spoken on
campus)
Nearly 50% of students are non-native speakers of
English

19. Characteristics of CSULA Student
Population
Many attended underperforming public high schools
More than 50% need to take remedial English due to
poor placement scores
Transfer students also have issues
May not have had many opportunities to practice
their writing

20. Citation Difficulties
Little experience in paraphrasing and synthesizing
sources
General lack of knowledge of a particular style
MLA vs. APA
Overall carelessness in mechanics of citation in the
text and the reference page

21. Citation Guidance at CSU Los Angeles
Informal prior to Summer 2005
Reference Desk questions
Info sheets with examples on Library website
One-on-one consultations
Created APA workshop for incoming MSW students at request of
School of Social Work
Focus on Reference page
Became part of formal MSW orientation for several years; Now given
in SW 510A in the first term

22. Citation Guidance at CSU Los Angeles
Grows
Realization that BSW students need a
foundation in APA style
Proposed to School Director to offer guest
presentations
Worked together to pinpoint specific required course
SW 301 – Writing for Social Work
Includes In-Text focus

23. Citation Guidance Expands Beyond
Social Work
Word of mouth and some careful campaigning and targeting
Education (master’s level)
Nursing
Political Science
Business Communication
Technology
Not all instructors willing to give class time

24. Introduction of Open Workshops
Additional learning opportunities for students in many
disciplines
APA offered every term
RefWorks, MLA, Plagiarism given on regular basis
Several instructors offer extra credit for attending a Library
workshop
Also part of programs such as EOP

25. Where We Are Today
Offer multiple APA workshops
Separated out In-Text from the Reference page
Shorter, focused sessions on citing particular types of sources
Work with specific classes in a multitude of
departments
Hold official office hours in the School of Social
Work on a weekly basis throughout the year

26. Resources
http://calstatela.libguides.com/apa

27. Plagiarism workshop
Started offering it from Sprint 2014
So far close to 10 workshops
With more than 57 students

28. Plagiarism workshop
Definition of plagiarism with examples
Difference between common knowledge & plagiarism
Concepts of plagiarism around the world
Reasons shaping influences to this form of academic
dishonesty
Paraphrasing, Quotation & Summarizing with examples
Steps of effective paraphrasing

29. Plagiarism workshop
Internet plagiarism
Internet paper mills site
Plagiarism detection tool
Turn-it-in
Online exercise

30. Student composition
Yes = 32
No = 25
32
25
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
YES
NO
Are you an undergraduate student?

31. What is your native language?
Total 57 responses-
English - 34
Spanish - 15
Spanish/English - 2
Cambodian- 1
Korean-1
Cantonese -1
Vietnamese- 1
Tagalog-1
Chinease-1
59%
26%
3%2%2%2%2%2%2% English
Spanish
Spanish/English
Cambodian
Korean
Cantonese
Vietnamese
Tagalog
Chinese

32. Students views regarding plagiarism
It should be avoided in
every assignment or
work. Thus, allowing the
original developers of
ideas/works to receive
credit for their hard work
It has been
engrained into me
that plagiarism is
bad and you must
paraphrase it or cite
it in your paper
I think it is important to give credit
but I also think teacher should give
examples in their classes when
they are giving assignment
because a lot of students have
trouble due to all the type of
forms of citing sourcesNo

33. Students views regarding plagiarism
It is very helpful. I
never fully
understood how to
properly cite so this
helped very much.
I didn't learn anything new,
but I did think it was well-
written, well-organized, and
well-presented!
From Grad Student

34. Would you recommend this
workshop to your friends?
It is very helpful. I never
fully understood how to
properly cite so this
helped very much.
I think this should start being a
requirement for incoming students.
This would save a lot of students
from failing due to lack of knowledge
on plagiarism.
93%
7%
Yes
No

35. How would you rate
usefulness of this workshop?
Found it interesting
how professors use
turnitin.com
to detect plagiarism
I think this workshop should be presented
more because it was very useful. I think
this workshop should be presented more
because it was very helpful to me. It made
me realize that some of the things I was
doing in my papers that I thought was ok
really wasn't.
57%
39%
4%0%
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
Poor

36. Thank you!
Question, Comment, Suggestion
Contact Info:
Deborah Schaeffer (323) 343-3961, dschaef@calstatela.edu
Jayati Chaudhuri (323) 343-5168, jchaudh5@calstatela.edu
Amrita Madray (516) 877-3579, amadray@adelphi.edu