Faculty Resources

Policy and procedure regarding plagiarism exist in the Aultman College Catalog under the Copyright Policy and Student Code of Conduct, respectively. Disciplinary sanctions are also described in the Student Code of Conduct.

The Library is committed to assisting faculty in deterring plagiarism at Aultman College. Here's how the Library can help:

• Educate students and faculty via in-class presentations, videos, and workshops
• Provide students and faculty with supplemental resources through the Library website
• Facilitate remedial plagiarism sessions

Here's how faculty can help students:

• Deter plagiarism in courses
• Detect plagiarism in student assignments
• Initiate and follow through with the discipline process

The writing tutors in the Student Success Center are also available to assist students with their writing and citations.

The Plagiarism Basics Introduction is a 30-minute in-class session designed to clearly set expectations for students in regards to academic honesty and plagiarism. The following topics are covered in the session:

• Defining plagiarism
• Recognizing common forms of plagiarism
• Understanding Aultman College policy, procedure, and consequences regarding plagiarism
• Recognizing specific strategies for avoiding plagiarism in your own assignments

Faculty are welcome to request specific introductory topics to make the session best fit student needs for the course or program.

While it is the responsibility of faculty to deter and detect plagiarism, the Library can assist in this process. Before submitting any student assignments to the academic librarian, please do the following:

• Gather as much information and evidence as you are able
• Remove any identifying information from the student's paper
• Highlight specific areas of concern
• A courtesy "heads up" before sending any of this information (whether in-person or by email) is much appreciated

The library may only offer guidance to faculty. As part of the Student Success Division, the Library and academic librarian will remain impartial to the investigation and will not be involved in the delivery of grades or discipline, unless the faculty member requests a remedial session for a student.

What is a remedial plagiarism session?

Remedial plagiarism sessions provide a disciplinary alternative for students who may have accidentally or unintentionally plagiarized, likely as a result of poor or developing writing and researching skills.

The session is a tailored one-on-one meeting with the academic librarian in which the student and the librarian:

• Review plagiarism basics
• Complete exercises on specific areas
• Review and revise the plagiarized assignment (regardless of grade status)
• Assign homework and/or a follow-up meeting

How does it work?

Remedial plagiarism sessions are faculty-initiated. Faculty should follow these steps:

• Determine that plagiarism has occurred and that the remedial session will be the most beneficial option for the student
• Contact the academic librarian (phone, email, in person) and provide:
  • Student assignment
  • Assignment instructions
  • Any specific requirements for the student (e.g. paper should be completely revised during the session, follow-up meeting post-session, homework assignment, etc.)
• The academic librarian will review the materials and create a tailored session to best fit the situation
  • Timing of the session will depend on agreement between librarian and faculty member, as well as librarian availability
  • The librarian will include any instructions for the faculty member
• The academic librarian will create a session on their booking calendar for the student to schedule the session
• Once the scheduled date arrives, the student and librarian will complete the session, review any additional work, and sign a Session Completion Form
• The student will complete any required follow-up as instructed
• The librarian will deliver the Session Completion Form to the faculty member or their mailbox and will follow up with the faculty member if requested

Library assessment

The academic librarian may request information about a student's subsequent performance after the remedial session to assess the efficacy of the session.

Because of the limitations of text-matching software (also called plagiarism checkers), the Library does not endorse their use as the sole or primary method of detecting plagiarism. You may use these software at your discretion; however, it is highly encouraged that faculty:

• Vet the software before using it
• Only use the software to confirm their initial suspicions
• Use their best judgment in determining whether plagiarism occurred, regardless of the results provided by the software
• As always, ask a librarian for assistance

See the links below for some interesting articles exploring the efficacy of text-matching software: