Librarian’s Role

in Fostering a Plagiarism-Free

Environment

Christine M. Abrigo

De La Salle University Libraries

Manila

4th Marina G. Dayrit Lecture Series

Philippine Association of Academic/Research Librarians, Inc.

16 September 2015 • 36th Manila International Book Fair

How this will go…

• Information

• Plagiarism

• Librarian’s role

• Initiatives

It all starts with

INFORMATION

Information

Creator User

Image source: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/B/r/u/H/w/O/information-icon-md.png:

Librarian and Information

Creator User

Manager Image source: http://www.clker.com/cliparts/B/r/u/H/w/O/information-icon-md.png:

PLAGIARISM What you might not know about

Plagiarism

Etymology

• Latin “plagiarius” : kidnapper ; “plagiare”: to kidnap

Meaning

“An act of taking the writings or creative work of

another person and passing them off as one’s own.” (Mundava & Chaudhuri, 2007)

"An intentional decision not to acknowledge the work

of others in assignments...A lack of academic integrity" (Neville, 2015, p. 29)

Plagiarism and Culture

• Culture (way of life) varies geographically; so is

the view on plagiarism

• “Culture can affect the rules for citation, how a

student learns a language, or the nature of the

educational system in which the writer has been

taught.” (Bloch, 2012, p.14)

Points to ponder

Can ideas be stolen?

• No. Ideas expressed in works: Yes.

Can plagiarism cause damage to the

work(s)?

• Not really. To the user: Yes.

They plagiarize…

• just to get by

• others do it, guess it’s okay, so might as well

• I know I’m copy-pasting, but seems that they

don’t detect it anyway

• I've always done it, it's easy, so I can do it again

• I need to get high marks

• I have deadlines to beat and tons of workload to

submit (not enough time)

Laws and Policies

IP Code (R.A. 8293, 1997) regards copyright/attribution as a moral right of an author (No direct reference):

Sec. 193.1. To require that the authorship of the works be attributed to him, in particular, the right that his name, as far as practicable, be indicated in a prominent way on the copies, and in connection with the public use of his work.

Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (R.A. 10175) does not have direct reference to plagiarism, however, it carries the spirit of copyright infringement under the IP Code

Laws and Policies

University policies

• ADMU Undergraduate Student Handbook

▫ Major offense: Academic penalty of F

• DLSU Student Handbook

▫ Major Offense: Grade of 0.0

• UP Code of Student Conduct

▫ First violation: Suspension

▫ Second violation: Expulsion

Walk the talk: Librarian as

information manager You don't have to be a lawyer. You just have to be about

yourself as an information professional.

Our responsibility

Sec. 2, IFLA code of ethics for librarians and other information workers, 2012

Librarians and other information workers offer services to increase reading skills. They promote information literacy including the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and create, use and communicate information. And they promote the ethical use of information thereby helping to eliminate plagiarism and other forms of misuse of information.

Our responsibility

PRC BFL Code of Ethics for Librarians, 2006

1.2 Librarians shall promote literacy and education

of the public by making the resources and

services of the library known and accessible to

its users.

1.3 Librarians shall uphold and promote the right to

information as well as abide by the provisions

of the intellectual property law.

The Expectation

Librarian is the champion of advocating

and proliferating information literacy

and fluency.

Therefore, a librarian does and will

not plagiarize.

Check Yourself

Are you aware of how big your role is in a

learner's journey to lifelong learning?

Do you truly understand the value of

intellectual/academic honesty?

Do you yourself exercise treating information

ethically?

Responsibility to self

STAY RELEVANT!

• Read, read, read

• Find time for SDL

• Collaborate (with colleagues, institutions; build

networks)

Prevention is better than

cure: What we can do for

(instead of 'to') our learners Job: Not to catch culprits, but to teach them to treat

information ethically.

Education rather than punishment

• Make them understand the VALUE of ethical use

of information and academic honesty

• Show them how to do it the right way

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE:

• They just know that plagiarism is wrong (they get

the message)

• Plagiarism paranoia: When do I call it my own?

Why reference/cite?

6 Knowledge-related reasons (Neville, 2015, p.8)

• Facilitates the tracing of the origin of ideas

• Helps you build a web of ideas

• Supports your own voice in academic writing

• Validates arguments

• Helps to spread knowledge

• Acknowledges the work of others

Strategies

• Incorporate responsible use of information in IL

program (e.g., come out with 'how tos': how to

cite sources/correct attribution, basics on

methods of research and finding information)

• Use technology at your fingertips

Citation creators

Reference management softwares

Plagiarism Checker

Initiatives @ DLSU

IamInfoSMART Campaign

IL Session includes section on…

Turnitin training sessions

Thank you.

christine.abrigo@dlsu.edu.ph 16 September 2015

5th MGDLS, PAARL

SMX Convention Center

References Bloch, J. (2012). Plagiarism, intellectual property and the teaching of L2 writing. Bristol: Multilingual

Matters.

Cvetkovic, V., & Anderson, K. (2010). Stop plagiarism. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. (2012). IFLA code of ethics for librarians

and other information workers. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from

http://www.ifla.org/news/ifla-code-of-ethics-for-librarians-and-other-information-workers-full-version

iParadigms LLC. (2015).Plagiarism.org: best practices for ensuring originality in written work. Retrieved 1 September

2015, from http://www.plagiarism.org/

Mundava, M., & Chaudhuri, J. (2007, March 1). Understanding plagiarism: the role of librarians at the University of

Tennessee in assisting students to practice fair use of information. Retrieved September 1, 2015, from

http://crln.acrl.org/content/68/3/170.full.pdf

Nancy, S. G., & Chester-Fangman, C. (2011). The librarian's role in combating plagiarism. Reference Services Review,

39(1), 132-150.

Neville, C. (2015). Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism (2nd ed., pp. 28-38). Maidenhead, GBR:

Open University Press.

Newbold, C. (2014). Did I plagiarize? the types and severity of plagiarism violations. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from

http://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/2014/09/16/did-i-plagiarize-the-types-and-severity-of-plagiarism-

violations/

References Professional Regulation Commission Board for Librarians. (2006). Code of ethics for librarians. Retrieved

1 September 2015, from http://www.prc.gov.ph/uploaded/documents/BoardforLibrarians-CE.pdf

Republic Act No. 10175: an act defining cybercrime, providing for the prevention, investigation, suppression and the

imposition of penalties therefor and for other purposes. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from

http://www.gov.ph/2012/09/12/republic-act-no-10175/

Republic Act No. 8293: an act prescribing the intellectual property code and establishing the Intellectual Property Office,

providing for its powers and functions, and for other purposes. Retrieved September 1, 2015, from

http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1997/ra_8293_1997.html

Star Cinema. (2013, March 18). "TRUST" Wow! Big Word! - Laida Magtalas Version Official Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/ItTakesAManAndAWoman2013 … #Popsters #Ashlloyd [Tweet]. Retrieved 1 September

2015, from https://twitter.com/starcinema/status/313547326495027200

Turnitin. (2015). Plagiarism and the web: myths and realities: an analytical study on where students find unoriginal

content on the Internet. Retrieved 1 September 2015, from

https://turnitin.com/static/resources/documentation/turnitin/company/Turnitin_Whitepaper_Plagiarism_Web.pdf