Bogle Academic CenterUniversity of Arkansas

Nancy Romig

Tutoring to Promote Better Writing and Avoid Plagiarism

Plagiarism & Collusion Plagiarism- “is the intentional or accidental uncredited use of source

material created by others” (“Chicago Manual”) For the U of A, plagiarism:

“occurs both when the words of another (in print, electronic, or any other medium) are reproduced without acknowledgement and when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased in such a way as to lead the reader to believe that they originated with the writer. It is not sufficient to provide a citation if the words of another have been reproduced – this also requires quotation marks” (“Sanction Rubric”).

Plagiarism is included in the university’s policy on academic dishonesty which is:

“any act by which a student gains or attempts to gain an academic advantage for him/herself or another by misrepresenting his/her or another’s work or by interfering with the independent completion, submission, or evaluation of academic work” (“Academic Integrity”)

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php

Collusion- “a secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose” (“Collusion”)

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/246.php

Forms Plagiarism• Copying and pasting• No quotation marks or in-

text citations used• Poor use of citations• Poor paraphrasing• Turning in another

student’s work• Using ideas (e.g. symbols,

themes, etc.) from an online source (e.g. Cliffs Notes, Wikipedia, Spark Notes)

• Craigslist• Self-plagiarism

CollusionProofreadingÜber brainstormingDoing the work for the student (e.g. writing, creating charts, etc.)

What You Need to Tell Your Student Safe Assign and/or his or her professor will catch the

assignment if it has been plagiarized.

If you have collaborated on an assignment (collusion—you’ve proofread the student’s paper) and the professor takes issue with that, you will both be reviewed by the department’s Academic Integrity Monitor and/or the university’s Academic Integrity Board.

The U of A holds the individual student responsible and expects each student to be knowledgeable about and familiar with all of the policies on academic honesty. For the university, there are no excuses for not knowing what is expected of you in regards to completing your work in an ethical, honest way.

http://provost.uark.edu/academicintegrity/245.php

University Procedures and Consequences If a student is caught plagiarizing, the professor submits the

assignment in question with a report to the department’s or college’s Academic Integrity Monitor(AIM).

The AIM conducts the initial review of the assignment and meets with the student individually.

After reviewing the assignment and meeting with the student, if the AIM finds an infraction of the academic honest policy, the student is usually assigned a zero for the assignment, but can also be suspended or expelled.

Sanctions can be contested, but will be brought before the All-University Academic Integrity Board (AUAIB).

The athletic department and the NCAA adhere to the policies and rulings of the university, so if there is an infraction, consequences will not stop with the Integrity Board. Both the tutor and the student-athlete will be under review.

How You Can Avoid Collusion and Help Your Student Avoid

PlagiarizingDuring the Pre-Drafting Stage:

Make sure the student has done the reading/class work needed to complete the assignment.

Go through the assignment sheet with the student to make sure the student knows exactly what his or her professor’s expectations and instructions are.

Ask them to do/work with them on an outline for the paper whether or not it is required for the assignment.

During the Drafting Stage: Send the student to work in the computer lab or a study room

to actually compose the paper. Maybe have them go write 1-3 paragraphs before returning.

Require that the student print out copies of his or her draft to bring to the appointment so you can talk about his or her work. Doing this will eliminate the tutor/computer issue.

Once the paper is drafted: Review the paper for quotation marks and in-text citations

(MLA/APA style). Check the vocabulary of the paper (plagiarism and

paraphrasing). Does it sound like your student? Ask direct questions about the content. If you suspect an assignment has been plagiarized, talk to one

of the advisors. Remember that ultimately it is the student’s responsibility to

not plagiarize and to know when they are.

How to Have a Successful Tutoring Appointment that Involves Writing

Pre-drafting:Make sure the student has read the assignment.Make sure that you and the student are familiar with the professor’s instructions and expectations.Help the student brainstorm and outline.

Drafting:Encourage the student to work on the paper in segments (one paragraph at a time).Read through drafts of the paragraphs to be sure the instructions for the assignment are being met.

Revision: Think in global or big picture terms. Focus on the content of the

discussion. Has the student answered the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of the subject. If not, elaboration is needed.

Has the student adhered to the professor’s instructions? (i.e. If the assignment is for an argumentative essay, is there an argument?)

Check the thesis statement. Does it fit the assignment? If not, it might need to be revised. If it is missing entirely, the student needs to add one. **Remember, you can talk them through the procedure, but you should NOT generate the ideas for the student.

Check for the organization and flow of the paper. Have transitions been used?

Grammar

Ask the student to print or bring one or two copies of their draft. Think about reading the paper out loud to the student.

Works Cited

“Academic Integrity at the University of Arkansas.” University of Arkansas. Univ.of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition.” The Purdue OWL. Purdue U Writing Lab, 2010. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Collusion.” Merriam-Webster. Encyclopedia Britannica Company, 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

“Sanction Rubric.” University of Arkansas. Univ.of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.

Conducting a tutor sessionBudget your time

Establish a plan for the sessionFocus on the text at handWrap up: Summarize comments

Christine Scheets

Establishing a Plan

Use the first minutes to set an agenda.“What questions do you have about the assignment?”“What obstacles are you encountering with your writing?”

Focus on the Text at HandLet the student do the work:Have the student brainstorm ideas for a new project.Ask guiding questions to help the student expand his/her ideas.Ask the student to select a section of the paper s/he would like to review.Discuss methods for revising a rough draft.

Wrapping UpSummarize comments:“Focus on incorporating more research in this draft.”“Pursue the idea you brought up further and see how it changes your revision.”

Ask/Answer Final Questions:“Do you feel more confident about tackling this revision now?”

Final Tips for SuccessBe a guide, not a “guru”: help the student

to discover his/her own methods and ideas.Model, don’t prescribe: demonstrate how

to apply something once, then let the student invent on his/her own.

Review: let the student leave with a task so they stay focused beyond his/her session.

Tutoring GrammarModel proofreading strategies and have tutee

apply those same strategies to their paperIdentify grammatical mistakes for student on a

separate sheet of paper, and then have tutee find those mistakes within the document.

Tutors may have to spend some time explaining certain grammatical concepts to a student.

At no point should the tutor do the work of proofreading for the student.

GOAL: The tutee will become a better proofreader.

Tutoring GrammarUltimate goal: to help students understand

better the various aspects of the writing process and to gain greater mastery over their writing

Tutors should always ensure that it is the work of the tutee, not the tutor, which produces results.

Taken from the OWL: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Basic steps 1) Have the student explain the paper

topic to you and identify any problems she thinks her paper may have.

2) Don’t write on the student’s paper. Let her hold the paper and share it with you.

3) Don’t just edit. Oftentimes, students will hand a writing tutor a paper and say, “Edit this for me.” But if you do that, you don’t help your student learn. Offer to teach her how to edit instead.

Basic steps4) Teach with examples. It’s hard to write an effective conclusion if you’ve never seen one. Show the student a couple of good papers on related subjects so she knows what she’s working toward.5) Start by encouraging the student to brainstorm ideas and get them on paper. Have student record herself while she’s brainstorming.6) After brainstorming, help her start to organize her paper. Ask her to identify which ideas go together.

Basic Steps7) After the student has written a draft,

begin the sentence-level editing process. Encourage her to identify her own errors and show her how to look up corrections in a style guide.

8) Remind students that multiple drafts are necessary. No great writer “gets it” on the first draft.

9) If a student has a lot of grammar errors, take the time to teach the grammar principle behind the mistake.

Taken from “How to Tutor Writing: 9 Steps”: www.wikihow.com

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