Recently I have experienced several different internet sites that expound on doing things that sure seem like they have crossed the line into plagiarism.
-- One report is being sold that claims it can teach you how to write a 20 page report in 2 hours
-- From the sales copy of another report... States that other people have already done the research for him. All that's needed is to pull out the keywords, use the ideas, change titles and put the thoughts into his own words
-- Watched a video by a marketer that shows how he rewrites articles in less than 10 minutes -- What it amounts to is copying an article, taking ideas and restating the text in his words. He passes a software originality test, so he says he's legal
Where on the scale from 1) Poor Practice to 2) Questionable Ethics to 3) Outright Plagiarism would these fall?
I feel that they are at least a level 2.
How useful is the software for checking originality?
Would appreciate your insight!
The Devil is in The Details
There's no real way for me to put a barometer on these reports without actually reading them first. That would, of course, necessitate that I purchase them and I am in no mood to do that and I doubt you are either.
The first report could just be a case of marketing hype. I own a mainstream press book entitled something like "Learn how to Program C++ in Three Hours". I spent at least a day with it and didn't learn squat. Could it be encouraging plagiarism? Certainly? But it could just be guilty of bad marketing.
The second one strikes me as very suspect. Especially the part about changing titles and putting things into their own words. Almost certainly anyone who did that without properly citing sources would be guilty of plagiarism, if not copyright infringement as well. I would never use such a service or read such a report. Not only is it ethically dubious but the quality of the work is almost always terrible.
The third is definitely a form of plagiarism and though it might pass an originality test, that's just an automated tool, the fact that the person based their entire work on that of another not only amounts to plagiarism, but also likely copyright infringement as what they produced is a derivative work of the original. Even though it might pass an originality report, if a professor or other grader had read the original article, it could be deemed a plagiarism and result in the same kind of penalties.
How useful is the software for detecting plagiarism? Depends on the plagiarism and depends on the software. Software such as Turnitin, Copyscape or MyDropBox can detect even a string of copied words. Even if the originality index is still high, meaning little verbatim copying, it could tip an astute professor off to the original work and cause further investigation. You would literally have to change one of ever four or five words to avoid detection and that would take longer than just writing it yourself.
That being said, there are plenty of bad services that can easily be fooled and should not be relied on. But most colleges, universities and other places that accept works from employees or students have subscriptions to one or more of the better services.
Still, an automated plagiarism check is no substitute for a well-read and learned professor who can detect more discreet theft. But they are out there and I talk with them regularly.
Anyway, I hope that helps and gives you the insight you want. I'm sorry for the delay but I just got back into town yesterday and I'm still trying to settle back in.
Let me know if you have any further thoughts or questions!
Jonathan Bailey - plagiarismtoday.com
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