Combating Student Plagiarism: An Academic Librarian's Guide (review)

It is likely that plagiarism has been with us as long as students have been assigned written work outside the classroom. The temptation to take the easy road is great and has only been heightened by the relative ease of finding information, including entire research papers, on the Web. As the forbidden fruit has become increasingly more attainable, librarians are taking active roles in addressing this issue on their campuses. In this clearly written guide, Lynn D. Lampert provides a concise overview of the topic and strategies for addressing plagiarism through the lens of information literacy.

Lampert is well versed in the subject, having served as a reference and instruction librarian for many years and an active participant in professional activities relating to information literacy and plagiarism. She has presented at numerous workshops and conferences and developed the popular Association of College and Research Libraries' Web cast on the subject of this book.

In the preface, Lampert sets out two goals—to discuss roles for libraries and librarians and to offer examples of strategies for addressing plagiarism. She begins the book by establishing the groundwork for addressing these goals. The introductory chapter discusses the impact of technology. Lampert goes beyond the role of technology as an enabler for plagiarism and discusses its influence on student attitudes about authority and acknowledgment of others' works. Ready acceptance of music downloading, for example, has muddied the waters when it comes to defining and understanding plagiarism and its consequences. Lampert cites a range of timely examples, not limiting herself to print but also including audio and video.

Although an academic library audience needs little convincing, Lampert uses the second chapter to document the pervasiveness of plagiarism among students, citing various surveys and studies. She also weaves in her own observations about why plagiarism is on the rise, setting up the next several chapters that argue persuasively for an active role for librarians in educating students. She devotes a considerable number of pages to a review of the academic library literature that provides a comprehensive overview for library school students and others who may be new to the topic but that may be less helpful to more experienced readers. In the third chapter, Lampert continues her analysis of the literature, moving on to how university faculty and administrators think about and attempt to address plagiarism through policy and education.

Lampert then turns her sights to information literacy, taking an implied "good, better, best" approach. She begins by outlining various tried and true modes of general instruction, then focusing on discipline based approaches, before moving on to the most effective mode—faculty/ librarian partnerships. The discussion of partnerships reaches beyond classroom and library walls to include writing centers, international student offices, student services, student government, and faculty teaching/learning centers. With this more holistic approach, Lampert sends the message that it takes a village to combat plagiarism on our campuses.

In the book's final chapters, Lampert gets down to some practicalities, including research assignment design, classroom exercises and strategies for teaching about the ethical use of information, and technology tools such as detection and citation management software. An appendix of publications that describe subject-specific discussions of plagiarism plus a comprehensive reference and further readings section round out the volume.

As Lampert acknowledges, the ever-evolving Web will continue to challenge both thought and action regarding plagiarism. Combating Student Plagiarism: An Academic Librarian's Guide provides a professional foundation and multiplicity of approaches for teaching about and encouraging the ethical use of information.