Is plagiarism a problem?

The bottom line is that all forms of assessment are at risk from some form of cheating. The best we can do is to designout as much of that risk as we can.

Portfolios can limit the possibility of plagiarism because:

1. Students cannot readily purchase their reflections on your course from the Internet!
2. The requirement of an evidence base also makes it more difficult for students to cheat particularly if you look for evidence that students have worked the materials in their evidence. For example, ask them to write their own notes on what they have read and/or include highlighted and annotated photocopies. Alternatively, ask for an annotated bibliography. Be wary of giving extensive credit for evidence of photocopying skills alone!
3. A good portfolio requires skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation and evidence of individual progression in learning and action. As Baume (2001:19) says, it should require the student to “find their own voice” – it should not be just an exercise in collecting information.

Portfolios do involve a risk of collusion. Requiring students to show that they have ‘worked’ their evidence (for example made notes on readings, highlighted texts, included research trails, proof of when tasks were completed etc) makes collusion more difficult, but does not entirely eradicate the problem. However, collusion is a more manageable problem than plagiarism per se at least you have a more clearly defined body of work to consider.

In dealing with plagiarism/collusion, consider also whether you should:

• teach the skills – a lot of quite blatant plagiarism may still be inadvertent. Students don’t always understand either the boundaries or why they are important (see for example Ashworth et al, 1997). Don’t just define plagiarism; give students exercises that identify what is/is not acceptable and help them to develop their referencing and paraphrasing skills.
• reward good academic practice – don’t just penalise plagiarism, make the rewards for wide reading and appropriate referencing substantial enough for students to take notice; they are more likely to respond to the carrot than the stick
• allow (some) collaboration – learning to work in groups is a valuable skill. You may want to allow or even encourage an element of collaborative learning. If so, clearly identify elements of the portfolio where collaboration is acceptable and may be rewarded.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010