Plagiarism Checker Works with Peer Student Revision Tool

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 01/21/09

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Oshkosh Area School District in Wisconsin is testing a suite of tools from iParadigms, which produces Turnitin.com, a Web site that tests for plagiarism. Using the Turnitin service, called WriteCycle, Oshkosh West High School teachers can collect student papers electronically and submit them for analysis against an ever-evolving database containing millions of journals, periodicals, student papers, and other possible resources. What the teachers get back is a plagiarism report that, according to the vendor's Web site, "provides instructors with the opportunity to teach their students proper citation methods as well as to safeguard their students' academic integrity."

According to principal Peter Cernohous, who wrote about the testing of the service in a high school newsletter, "This program will facilitate both instruction and prevention of plagiarism and should be a valuable tool for both teacher and student."

Other tools on Turnitin allow for the creation and maintenance of online discussion boards, class calendars, and peer revision assignments.

"Additionally, teachers can use the site to upload important documents (class syllabus, notes, handouts, assignments, etc.) and include important links to other Web sites," wrote Cernohous. "Students who miss school will thus be able to use the program to stay up to date and in the loop of classroom activities. Bottom line is that this program will allow teachers to work more with student writings, students to be aware that they need to submit their own personal works, and that an additional tool is now available for helping students with their homework other then when at school."

The service is costing the high school $1.80 per student per year, according to coverage in the Oshkosh Northwestern.