Isn't Patchwriting Plagiarism?

Not everybody knows what everybody calls plagiarism.

Three studies may lend insights into accusations of plagiarism in student write-ups.

Rennie & Crosby’s study on medical students published in the British Medical Journal is a take off from a survey conducted in 1980 on 428 American students that found that 58% reported cheating during medical school. A researcher-designed questionnaire was distributed to 676 medical students in all year levels at Dundee medical school The questionnaire had 14 scenarios in which a fictitious student, ‘John,’ engaged in dishonest behaviour. Students were asked to give their views on informing faculty about misconduct and signing a written declaration.

The researchers found that students consider dishonest behaviour to be wrong and would not engage in it. Most students replied that most of the scenarios were wrong. The proportion of students reporting that they had engaged in or would consider engaging in the scenarios varied from copying answers in a degree examination to copying directly from published text and only listing it as a reference. About a third of the students reported that they had engaged in or would consider engaging in the behaviour described in four of the scenarios: chatting about an objective structured clinical examination, writing ‘nervous system examination normal’ when this hadn't been performed, lending work to others to look at, and copying text directly from published sources and simply listing the source in a reference list.

However, that some students did report engaging in dishonest behaviour is seen as important and worrisome. Fewer students consider it wrong to reference published text incorrectly compared with copying in exams, submitting a senior student's work, or copying another student's work.

The responses for some of the scenarios involving plagiarism may indicate students' lack of understanding regarding referencing text appropriately and also a need for clear guidelines. Large proportions of students were also unsure whether exchanging information regarding an objective structured clinical examination was wrong. This may reflect confusion concerning the acceptability of swapping information and a lack of guidance given to students about appropriate behaviour. The researchers concluded that explaining to students what acceptable behaviour is, is important when trying to reduce dishonesty. Also, medical schools should take this matter seriously as it may cast doubt on the validity of qualifications.

An ERIC study by Love & Simons focused their study among graduate students in a college education. This qualitative study on cheating and plagiarism utilized six first-year masters students recruited from three different programs at Middle State University.

These three resource persons thought there might be specific behaviours related to plagiarism about which the students might be unaware. Although cheating and plagiarism seemed to be occurring, the respondents were uncertain about the sanctions for these behaviours. Factors noted as contributing to cheating included: pressures related to grades, the number of assignments, and running out of time; leniency of professors and their tendency to avoid addressing these issues; lack of awareness of the rules of plagiarism; and personal attitudes such as wanting to avoid hard work or lack of interest in the topic. Factors noted as inhibiting cheating and plagiarism included fear, guilt, personal confidence, positive professional ethics, and the desire to work or learn.

The researchers found that graduate faculty avoided dealing with these issues, either in communicating with their students about appropriate or inappropriate behaviour on in confronting the behaviour when it does occur. The fact that there have been relatively few studies of cheating and plagiarism at the graduate level further substantiate the conclusion that until faculty understand and overcome issues of discomfort, studying and confronting cheating and plagiarism among graduate students will probably continue to be avoided and ignored.

Another ERIC study by K. Klompien examined several research papers written by students who took part in summer bridge program at California State University.

Findings show that many of the strategies that students have used in the past in order to incorporate different texts are not only inappropriate in the university but could lead to accusations of plagiarism. Findings also point to possibilities that when making research or a paper, many instructors assume that students will be able to create an original text in which they are in clear command of the material.

When a writer attempts to adopt or apply what she has read to a given topic, according to M.M. Bakhtin (‘Problem of the text’), she is working with a ‘heteroglossia,’ or a multitude of different voices at once. In order for students to incorporate ‘alien’ words and ideas of others into their essays, they are expected to master the conventions of quotation and paraphrase.

Klompien cited Glynda Hull & Mike Rose (‘Rethinking remediation. Toward a social-cognitive understanding of problematic reading and writing’). In ‘Written Communication’ which explores a phenomenon called ‘patchwriting,’ Hull and Rose accordingly see this as a stage of development in which students are exploring different ideas but have not absorbed them thoroughly enough to put them into their own words. They, therefore, include ‘patches’ of text from outside sources without paraphrasing. Hull and Rose describe this technique as ‘making slight modification to the original, changing a word here and there but copying the whole chunks verbatim.’

Klompien also cited Rebecca More Howard (‘Standing in the shadow of giants. Plagiarist, authors, and collaborators’) who says that all writers patchwrite, but some are just more successful to it than others.

Klompien found that some ‘patchwriting’ was used in all five of the research papers studied. ‘Patchwriting’ as earlier described sees students still exploring ideas without yet having absorbed meanings. The study notes that it is helpful for many students to use these techniques as they start writing at the college level in order to try to understand what the authors of their text believe and to begin to take on the language of the discourse community.

Analysis showed that the research paper is particularly difficult for the basic writer. To complicate matters, the atmosphere in the University often is one of suspicion and blame when it comes to any appearance of plagiarism, instead of one that encourages risk-taking and growth among its students.

Finally, Klompien concluded that the challenge of bringing in and successfully incorporating outside authorities can be overwhelming for students. The students need, therefore, their instructors’ help to learn to respond in ways that keep them from being susceptible to accusations of plagiarism.

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