Effectively designed assignments and a positive classroom atmosphere can help discourage plagiarism and encourage a successful research process. Keep the following suggestions in mind throughout syllabus development.
- Define plagiarism in your syllabus. Provide examples, and be sure students are aware of any possible penalties
- Discuss consequences that other students have faced as a result of plagiarism
- Incorporate web resources, including library databases, into assignments, your syllabus, and class presentations. Use these opportunities to show students how to cite and evaluate these kinds of sources
- See Designing Activities and Assignments to Discourage Plagiarism (UW-Madison Writing Across the Curriculum)
- Refer students to the UW Writing Center plagiarism site
- Consider plagiarism offenses as learning opportunities, rather than grounds for punishment. Read Traffic School for Essay Thieves for more information
Finally, be positive! Stress the positive value of intellectual property in scholarly communication, rather than focusing solely on the negativity of plagiarism.