Electronic Plagiarism Detection Services: A Learning Tool or a Quick Fix?

With the advent of nearly universal Internet ac- cess and the upsurge of paper mills, universities and colleges are scrambling to find effective solutions to the rise of plagiary on campus. Some colleges and universities are implementing electronic plagiarism detection services. The two main rationales for using these devices are to deter and detect plagiarism as well as teach students proper writing and citation techniques (Martin, 2004). However, research has yet to determine if the student learning function of these tools is present. The purpose of the study was to assess if one electronic plagiarism prevention device, Turnitin, is being used to teach students proper writing and citation techniques or solely to deter and detect plagiarism. Our results showed that although instructors and students found the tool easy to use and believed it reduced plagiarism, students reported receiving little instructional value related to their writing. As a result, it appears that when detec- tion services are introduced within college class- rooms, instructors may use these tools mainly to detect and deter plagiarism rather than to teach students how to avoid plagiarism. We believe this challenge can be addressed by teaching instructors and students how to incorporate detection services into the writing process.