“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is an apt adage for plagiarism woes in higher education. What measures can faculty take to prevent plagiarism…not just catch offenders? This is a frequent topic covered by librarians and teachers alike. I wanted to share a few resources with you, faculty & students, on the topic.

First, here are a few institutional webpages on the topic. These offer much needed guidance on what students should look for when evaluating the credibility of web resources for research. Instructors can share these resources in class and teach students the best ways to find good, reliable sources. Students can use these sources to help them self-evaluate resources even as they research and write.

How to Do Research: Evaluating Web Resources Guide PDF (GC)
Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask (Berkeley)
Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools (Cornell)
Evaluating Web Pages (Duke)

Second, for those who have additional questions, did you know that you can Ask a Librarian at GC? The professional librarians are ready and able to help students evaluate website credibility and to find reputable sources. They can also provide teaching tips for faculty on the subject.

Third and finally, many of the faculty here at GC already know and use Turnitin for plagiarism detection in student work. Recently, Turnitin announced a new *free* online rubric designed to help us teach students how to evaluate the quality of web sources they often use in their writing. To learn more, read about The Source Educational Evaluation Rubric (SEER). To access the SEER rubric, you will be required to enter some information, but there is no cost.

Feel free to comment with additional tips & suggestions! I’d love to hear from you.