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Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Prevention Resources: Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

Below is a list of useful resources that can be used as conversation "starters" for classroom discussions about plagiarism, consequences of plagiarism and other issues related to academic integrity. The formats of the resources in this list include articles, a blog, videos, and a web guide.

If you encounter a paywall, the UW Libraries provides access to many resources to current UW and Cascadia students, faculty, and staff. See the Accessing Resources, and Searching & Finding Campus Library FAQs for instructions with screenshots. 

  • Plagiarism: New York Times  (Articles)
    This site provides a collection of blog posts and current news articles on Plagiarism.  
  • Plagiarism: The Guardian  (Articles)
    This site provides a collection of current news articles on Plagiarism. (U.S Edition)  
  • "The Plagiarist's Tale" The author of "Assassin of Secrets" had a secret of his own. (Article)
    This article covers the case of an author caught plagiarizing on the cusp of publishing a hit spy novel. An excerpt of the book was posted online by the publisher and then a fan of the spy novel genre noticed sentences had been copied from other spy novel authors. After discovering that the author had been a plagiarist for fifteen years, he was asked by the publishing company to pay back his $15,000 advance for two books, and to reimburse the company for the book's production costs.
  • "Helene Hegemann, the art of cut and paste"  (Article)
    This article discusses the case of Helene Hegemann, a young German novelist, who freely admits to using passages of other people's work from the web in one of her novels. The article's author suggests that this could herald "a new take on plagiarism and 'authenticity.'"
  • "As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating" (Article)
    This article covers the case of an assignment in H. E. Dunsmore’s class at Purdue University. Two students turned in nearly 100 identical lines of code for an assignment that would allow one computer to visit web pages located on another. Was it a fluke? Or had they cheated?
  • "Jury Finds JT LeRoy Was Fraud" (Article)
    A New York Times article on the case of Laura Albert, a writer convicted of fraud for signing legal papers in the guise of her "alter-ego" JT LeRoy and for deceiving numerous fans, including some celebrities, by concealing her true identity. This case raises interesting questions about the nature of authorship and integrity and issue of truth, accuracy and free-speech in writing.
  • PostSecret (Blog)
    A blog originally started to showcase postcards that people submitted anonymously with secrets written on them, but ultimately ended up as a book published by the “owner” of the blog. This raises the question of who is really responsible for blog content that is developed by readers/viewers and who “owns” it (or makes money off it).
  • "Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age" (Article)
    New York Times article on plagiarism and online authorship. Makes the point that students often do not fully understand what plagiarism is, what constitutes plagiarism and other considerations of copyright, intellectual property, etc. A good resource for discussions on the nature of plagiarism and considerations to be aware of in the digital age.
  • Move Over, ‘Meerkat Manor’ (Article)
    This Newsweek article was written by a nature writer whose scientific article on endangered ferrets was plagiarized by a romance novelist. Raises issues of what plagiarism is, when authors must be credited for their work and the implications of using information found on the web.
  • Rethinking Plagiarism in the Digital Age? (Article)
    An interview John Palfrey published as part of Project Information Literacy at the University of Washington Information School. The interview discusses how the definitions of identity and privacy have changed as well as how plagiarism and academic integrity are being taught in the classroom.
  • Stephen Harper Copies John Howard  (Video)
    Excerpts from speeches by Canadian Stephen Harper and Australian prime minister John Howard where Harper's speech copies Howard's
  • Plagiarism: Don’t Do it! (Video)
    A video done in the style of identity theft commercials; discusses how stealing someone else's work without providing credit is plagiarism.