R#01-02--4

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

FACULTY SENATE

RESOLUTION #01-02--4

On March 28, 2002, the Faculty Senate endorsed the following informational report of the Academic Calendar and Calendar Committee on Plagiarism:

Plagiarism

Regarding the use of plagiarism software at URI, the committee agrees that existing language in the University Manual is sufficient. See sections 8.27.10-19

The Academic Standards and Calendar Committee recommends the following:

That all faculty increase efforts to raise awareness levels among students about what constitutes plagiarism -- including plagiarism in oral communication -- and how it can be avoided. And they should do so in a variety of ways, e.g. statements on syllabi, class discussions, assignments.

That the topic of plagiarism should be, if it is not already, included in all writing-intensive courses.

That faculty assigning group work need to be clear to students about what will constitute plagiarism in that setting.

That faculty should be encouraged to create assignments that make plagiarism more difficult.

Because there are many plagiarism-detection software packages available, it is difficult to make specific recommendations about potential purchases. The Academic Standards and Calendar Committee does share concerns about the use of such software potentially interfering with the intellectual property rights of students.

It also should be noted that there is some support on the committee for the university purchasing plagiarism-detection software, providing legal counsel advises that student rights are protected.