University Writing CenterMy sister, who lives in Washington State, and I have a running disagreement about our state highway patrol agencies. Washington State Patrol uses unmarked cars for traffic control, so that white SUV in your rear-view mirror might just be a WSP cop waiting for you to make an illegal lane change. In California, our Highway Patrol vehicles used for traffic safety are clearly marked, with lights and paint.
We each contend our state’s system is best; she says “how else are you going to catch the bad drivers? If they KNOW there’s a police officer in the next lane, do you think they’ll drive poorly?” I reply “you’re right! That’s why the cars are marked! What’s the goal here? To catch bad drivers or to improve traffic safety?”
While any reasonable person will see I’m right, she has a point, too. Both deterring poor behavior AND punishing evil-doers are important for everyone’s safety. It’s also the theory behind a new service Cal Poly Pomona faculty are using to help keep students on the straight and narrow path of academic honesty.
The new service is called Turnitin.com and they describe themselves thusly:
Turnitin.com, the world's most widely recognized and trusted resource for preventing Internet plagiarism. Turnitin.com products and services help educators and students maximize the Internet's educational potential by making it a safe place for research and learning.
The way the service works is simple. A user submits an electronic version of a paper or project to the company. They compare it to their vast database and not only identify sections that come from a previously published source, but also name the source. The paper is also given a score for originality, all in a matter of hours. Honest writers can make sure they haven’t inadvertently used something inappropriately from another source, while those who are less than honest are identified fairly easily.
It’s important for students to know that many faculty at Cal Poly Pomona are using Turnitin.com to evaluate student work. It is equally important for faculty to include that information on their syllabi or assignments, so that the service can have its strongest deterrent effect. For those students who complete their work honestly, this should come as good news. For those who choose to use words of others as their own, this should be a strong warning that the chances of being found out have increased dramatically.
One thing my sister and I agree on is the posting of “speed controlled by radar” signs along the road because it’s a good warning and radar does catch speeders. Students should consider themselves warned that radar patrols have been increased and that more incidents of plagiarism will be identified and brought to the attention of Judicial Affairs.
