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[1233312]

I know we often have long threads about bad students who plagiarize. I just had a case of something I was 80% sure it was plagiarism. Asked for previous work and other writing samples -- it wasn't. S/he's just a rockstar with writing style and fastidiousness. It makes me so happy to be proved wrong in a case like that. (I know, it like never happens, right?)

Just wanted to share...

[mathspice]

I know many of us b***ch about our students (it does feel good sometimes to be able to do so anonymously), but I just received an email from a student who is working on an extra credit graph assignment and hu ended the email with "Very Respectfully, (name)". Nice.

I have many students this semester who are working so hard. And I know many are paying attention since some will email me and say, "I don't recognize this type of problem. Did we do this in class?" And they are correct. It's something we didn't do and I'm thrilled that they noticed!

[mountainguy]

Yes, cheers to students who have their act together. Every semester, I have at least four or five (usually more) who are living proof that education is working. I wish I could find a way to focus more of my energy on them,  since they're the students I most enjoy teaching. Alas, the slackers will always be with us. We just have to find a way to remember that they aren't the "be all, end all" of higher education.

[fishbrains]

Yes. I have a student in my intro-to-lit class I first met when I helped tutor her way back when she was in basic writing (our lowest level writing class). She just completed a poetry explication assignment that was pretty damn good. Not perfect, but insightful and worthy and free of major errors. And I know she didn't plagiarize because I saw her write in class, I saw the draft, and she picked an unpublished poem to work with that I wrote.

Every essay she writes shows thoughtful improvement, and I am so stoked about how far she has come. She's not going to be some superstar anywhere, but she represents every reason why my cc exists and why I want to teach.

Good thread.   

[omgacademe]

After three days of grading, I had two papers that really knocked my socks off.  The students used advanced terminology very well, their arguments were nuanced and supported well, and the writing style was concise and clear.  I learned something from both of their papers.  Best of all, I checked and not one bit seemed plagiarized. 

They made a weekend of grading totally worth it, even the several papers that were plagiarized.  Thankfully, most of those were rough drafts, so they can (and better!) rewrite those sections before the final drafts are due. 

[mystictechgal]

After three days of grading, I had two papers that really knocked my socks off.  The students used advanced terminology very well, their arguments were nuanced and supported well, and the writing style was concise and clear.  I learned something from both of their papers.  Best of all, I checked and not one bit seemed plagiarized. 

They made a weekend of grading totally worth it, even the several papers that were plagiarized.  Thankfully, most of those were rough drafts, so they can (and better!) rewrite those sections before the final drafts are due. 

Hoping this doesn't end in a hijack, I'm loving this thread and it's not my intent, but I have a question about drafts (which I hate writing to turn in). 

In a draft, is it ever okay to put something in (e.g., quotation/semi-quotation, someone else's idea to possibly expand upon, etc.) with a very partial citation or the notation [citation needed] as opposed to going through the entire citation process when you're not sure it will even stay in the final version?  Or, is that a no-no, too?  (Thankfully, few of my previous professors have required submitted drafts.  I've no clue what will be the case on that when I return.)

[mean_prof]

Hoping this doesn't end in a hijack, I'm loving this thread and it's not my intent, but I have a question about drafts (which I hate writing to turn in). 

In a draft, is it ever okay to put something in (e.g., quotation/semi-quotation, someone else's idea to possibly expand upon, etc.) with a very partial citation or the notation [citation needed] as opposed to going through the entire citation process when you're not sure it will even stay in the final version?  Or, is that a no-no, too?  (Thankfully, few of my previous professors have required submitted drafts.  I've no clue what will be the case on that when I return.)

Ask the professor doing the grading.  Some are fine with "[citation needed]"; some are fine with partial citations; some want you to cite anything in the draft.

I had to stop using the word "draft" because my students thought they could hand in any garbage they wanted instead of an actual, almost complete paper.  (In my opinion, 2 pages for a 5-7-page paper is not "a draft.")

And citations aren't that hard, so stop making excuses for not doing them.  ;)

P.S.  I started failing students for plagiarizing in their drafts because they need to show how to write properly AT EVERY STAGE, not depend on their (invariably bad) ability to remember what they stole someone else wrote for their final submission.  I warn them about this in the syllabus, in the instructions, and in class (repeatedly).  They still act surprised at how UNFAIR I am.  "It was an accident!"  Not.

[omgacademe]

After three days of grading, I had two papers that really knocked my socks off.  The students used advanced terminology very well, their arguments were nuanced and supported well, and the writing style was concise and clear.  I learned something from both of their papers.  Best of all, I checked and not one bit seemed plagiarized. 

They made a weekend of grading totally worth it, even the several papers that were plagiarized.  Thankfully, most of those were rough drafts, so they can (and better!) rewrite those sections before the final drafts are due. 

Hoping this doesn't end in a hijack, I'm loving this thread and it's not my intent, but I have a question about drafts (which I hate writing to turn in). 

In a draft, is it ever okay to put something in (e.g., quotation/semi-quotation, someone else's idea to possibly expand upon, etc.) with a very partial citation or the notation [citation needed] as opposed to going through the entire citation process when you're not sure it will even stay in the final version?  Or, is that a no-no, too?  (Thankfully, few of my previous professors have required submitted drafts.  I've no clue what will be the case on that when I return.)

I agree with cassandra_prophesies - ask your professor.  Personally, I think it is fine to include information that you know have a citation for and make a note to yourself to track down that reference later.  I often have something like, "Blah blah fact blah blah (ref here)" in my papers.  However, my students have the habit of taking large chunks of their papers word for word from their sources.  That is not okay.  First of all, I can't give you feedback if the paper is not in your words.  Second, why not just put it in your words to begin with??  Ugh, stupid students.

When reading drafts, I will circle the first couple of plagiarized parts that I find and then I will stop reading.  I am not going to waste my time on those papers, and my students know it. 

[concordancia]

After three days of grading, I had two papers that really knocked my socks off.  The students used advanced terminology very well, their arguments were nuanced and supported well, and the writing style was concise and clear.  I learned something from both of their papers.  Best of all, I checked and not one bit seemed plagiarized. 

They made a weekend of grading totally worth it, even the several papers that were plagiarized.  Thankfully, most of those were rough drafts, so they can (and better!) rewrite those sections before the final drafts are due. 

Hoping this doesn't end in a hijack, I'm loving this thread and it's not my intent, but I have a question about drafts (which I hate writing to turn in). 

In a draft, is it ever okay to put something in (e.g., quotation/semi-quotation, someone else's idea to possibly expand upon, etc.) with a very partial citation or the notation [citation needed] as opposed to going through the entire citation process when you're not sure it will even stay in the final version?  Or, is that a no-no, too?  (Thankfully, few of my previous professors have required submitted drafts.  I've no clue what will be the case on that when I return.)

I agree with cassandra_prophesies - ask your professor.  Personally, I think it is fine to include information that you know have a citation for and make a note to yourself to track down that reference later.  I often have something like, "Blah blah fact blah blah (ref here)" in my papers.  However, my students have the habit of taking large chunks of their papers word for word from their sources.  That is not okay.  First of all, I can't give you feedback if the paper is not in your words.  Second, why not just put it in your words to begin with??  Ugh, stupid students.

When reading drafts, I will circle the first couple of plagiarized parts that I find and then I will stop reading.  I am not going to waste my time on those papers, and my students know it. 

I tell my students explicitly that the first thing they turn in should be the best that they can do on their own: if they already know that they half a$$ed it, there is not point in taking my time to help them improve it.

[ptarmigan]

I think it would be bad practice to just note that you need to cite something, if you already took it from a source.  If you happen to know it and just want to find a source for it, it's OK, but if I got it from Smith 2005 I want to put in my draft that it came from there, just so I don't lose the reference.  But I'd feel free to put the reference in whatever format was easiest for me. 

That's just talking about what I'd do personally, not what a professor might require.  I don't recall ever having been required to turn in a draft.

[unusedusername]

I just got an email from a student thanking me for being helpful to her group in the lab. :)