Ch. 7-8 Quiz

Alex Buser
ENC 1102.0105
Jane Moody
8 April 2010
Chapter 7-8 Quiz
Plagiarism can be defined “as the intentional or accidental misrepresentation of someone else's work, ideas, or words as your own” (ENC1102 Blog). Without citing where your information came from, you are stealing someone else’s original work. My research has been centered on the argument that plagiarism has been decreasing with the advancements of detection and prevention technology. All of the articles that I have accumulated reinforce my theory. For me, this means that my research for Core 4 is an argument of definition.
My argument is one of definition because all of the authors make “a general definition of some key concept” (Lunsford 233). One of my articles discusses Turnitiin.com and how it works. The article argues that Turnitin.com can be very effective in the way that it uses its large database of information to pinpoint where a source came from and if any sources were used, but not cited. This has been proven to be very effective in its use. Another article talks about a new tool called Research Automation Process. They define this process as a tool to engage the writer by allowing the writer to have access to search engines, databases, writing tools, and finally plagiarism detection software. The process lays out a definition of plagiarism prevention. These tools, and many more, have been defined throughout my research process.
According to Lunsford, there must be “evidence for every part of the argument” (233). The articles that I have come across during my research have given me plenty of evidence to support my claims. In many of the articles, surveys and experiments were done to show the effectiveness of the prevention software and tools. The authors also explain that by using these technologies, future students and writers will be less inclined to plagiarize because of the threat of detection. Many surveys have proven the latter.
Lastly, my research has shown me “alternative views and counterarguments” (233). Some of the articles that I have come across describe reasons that detection software, such as Turnitin.com and TOAST, can fail. Many of the articles just come out and blatantly their lack of faith in the technology. Some authors claim that because the Internet is so vast, the software cannot detect many of the plagiarized works. These claims are contradictory to what I am arguing, but many of them lack evidence to support their theories. This is why I believe that I will be successful in arguing that prevention and detection software can and has decreased the amount of plagiarism that college students do.

Reflection on the Research Process

I think that the conversation going around plagiarism in college writing with the advancements of technology is very insightful. I have discovered new ways to prevent plagiarism, as well as many ways that students plagiarize. The latter surprised me initially. I had no idea that students were using all of the new technologies to plagiarize, such as websites that you can actually download papers from. I have also found that many people agree with the statement that plagiarism in college has been decreasing or prevented better with the creation of so many new technologies, such as Turnitin.com. As for the research process, I am having no problems finding the necessary sources. I use Google Scholar, as well as the library database, to find sources. Overall, the research process has been a good experience.