Plagiarism

Another use of corpus linguistics is in cases where plagiarism is suspected. We have already considered the general question of proving authorship in an earlier section, but the related issue of plagiarism is one which is of particular importance to those in the teaching profession.

Because of this importance, software packages have been designed which are able to identify occurrences of plagiarism. Programs such as CopyCatch, developed by David Woolls, allow you to detect plagiarism. For example, you can compare a set of essays with course modules or handouts held in electronic form. There are also related educational programs which help students work on paraphrasing techniques, which may help avoid plagiarism.

 

German Defense Minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg (in office 2009-2011) was accused of allegedly plagiarizing large portions of his doctoral thesis. Although zu Guttenberg renounced the accusations, the University of Bayreuth revoked his title and zu Guttenberg resigned his political posts in 2011.

 


Read more:

Hicks, K. “Best Plagiarism Detection Tools for Educators.Edudemic. January 25, 2015

German defense minister resigns in PhD plagiarism row,” The Guardian,

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