Plagiarism-detection Software Operating at an Honor-Code University: An Evaluation of Compatibility, Effectiveness, Utility and Implementation

Turnitin plagiarism-detection software was operating as a pilot program conducted by the Center for Teaching and Learning in Winter 2007 on the Brigham Young University (BYU) campus. A sample of 6 instructors and 79 student users participated in this evaluation. The evaluation findings show that Turnitin is compatible with the academic honesty environment created by BYU?s Honor Code. Turnitin has been effective at detecting intentional and inadvertent plagiarism at BYU. It has also addressed the problem of multiple submissions of the same material. Recommendations are made for promoting Turnitin at the campus and department level. Training tools are proposed for instructors: a FAQ page, an online tutorial, and a set of guidelines for introducing Turnitin to a class.

George Joeckel is an Instructional Designer at the Faculty Assistance Center for Teaching at Utah State University. He specializes in designing and developing instructional models, processes and tools for higher education courses delivered online through a learning management system. He is a co-creator of the OAR model.