Africa to address plagiarism

ACADEMICS from across Africa will unite to discuss plagiarism prevention and detection at a unique event.

The first ever series of African Academic Integrity Seminars will be held in South Africa this month.

The event is being hosted by Turnitin, the world-leading originality checking and plagiarism prevention tool used by millions of students and thousands of institutions internationally.

The free events will take place on May 20 and 24 at the universities of Cape Town and Johannesburg respectively. There will be an additional seminar on May 23 for university heads.

Will Murray, Vice President of Turnitin International said: “Plagiarism is a growing problem, not just in Africa, but globally.

"These seminars are a unique opportunity to share best practice and experience on plagiarism."

"The meeting for university Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors will bring together some of the most influential figures in African academia and provide a forum for discussion about how Africa is addressing plagiarism."

"Sharing research, experiences and international perspectives is key to creating a culture of honesty in academia."

Participants at the seminars will include both current users of Turnitin as well as those who wish to learn about the benefits of using the system.

Olugbenro Oyekan, Executive Vice President at the International School of Management, Lagos, said: “Students and scholars across academic institutions in Africa are increasingly aware and involved in the campaign for academic integrity and anti-plagiarism.

"Honesty in scholarship should transcend geography and culture and Africa seems as ready for that as the rest of the world."

Guest speakers will include Dr Cath Ellis from the University of Huddersfield, who will talk about her institution’s use of Turnitin as part of its e-assessment strategy; and Stella Orim from the University of Coventry.

Ms Orim will present the findings of research she conducted last year with Nigerian postgraduates studying at a UK university.

The study highlighted a lack of awareness about plagiarism and suggested a need for an institutional plagiarism mitigation system in Nigeria.

Last month, training began in Nigeria after it became the first country in Africa to adopt the Turnitin software on a nationwide basis.

Turnitin is working in partnership with the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVC) to roll out the technology across the country.

In the UK, Turnitin is now used by 98% of UK higher education institutions, following a national government funded initiative.

Recent data showed that the nationwide rollout, coupled with best practice guidance, has led to a 59% reduction in unoriginal essay content since 2005.

To register for the events please visit Eventbrite

For further information please contact Caroline Smith, Communications and PR Officer on (0044) (0)845 643 0105 or email intmedia@turnitin.com

Nigeria takes the lead on tackling plagiarism

NIGERIA is pioneering the promotion of academic integrity in Africa by adopting Turnitin plagiarism detection software.

It is the first African country to introduce the system on a nationwide basis.

Turnitin is working in partnership with the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVC) to roll out the technology across the country.

In the UK, Turnitin is used by 98% of UK higher education institutions, following a national initiative funded by government body the Joint Information Systems Committee in 2002.2.

Turnitin Vice President of International, Will Murray, who led the UK roll-out programme, said: “Nigeria is leading the way as the first African country to adopt Turnitin on a national basis.

“It is following the example of the UK, Pakistan, Turkey and several other countries in choosing Turnitin to ensure the integrity of its scholarly works on a national basis.

“This move highlights the determination of Nigerian higher education institutions to address the issue of plagiarism and promote academic integrity and authenticity as well as enhance their reputations on an international level.

“We’re delighted to be assisting the CVC in establishing a national model for academic integrity in Nigeria and onsite training has already begun.”

Turnitin compares submitted works against a vast database of information from internet pages, journals and other academic content.

Research conducted last year with 17 Nigerian post-graduates studying at a UK university highlighted a lack of awareness about plagiarism and suggested a need for an institutional plagiarism mitigation system in Nigeria.

One student told researcher Stella-Maris Orim: “When I didn’t know about plagiarism it wasn’t a problem; now that I do it is a serious problem.”

Another said: “Awareness is a starting point, after which a structure should be put in place.”

CVC Secretary General Mike Fabarode said: “We are delighted to be pioneering this commitment to academic integrity in Africa.

“There was overwhelming readiness across the board, in both public and private universities, to adopt Turnitin in all Nigerian universities at a recent meeting of the body.

“After a generous discount negotiated with Turnitin of the UK, the VCs are committing almost $1 million annually for the first three years of the Agreement.”

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For further information please contact PR and Communications Officer Caroline Smith on (0) 845 643 0105 or intmedia@turnitin.com

Universities in South Korea to adopt plagiarism detection technology

iParadigms today announced that it is working with Korean organisations including KISTI (Korean Institute of Science and Technology Information) to develop a plagiarism detection service for South Korea.

This plagiarism prevention solution, which will be based on iParadigms’ iThenticate product, will help institutions avoid cases of misconduct by comparing submitted works against a vast database of information from the Web, scholarly journals and other academic content.

The South Korean initiative follows a growing number of countries internationally, including the UK and Pakistan, which are opting to provide a national service to help prevent plagiarism using iParadigms technology.

However, only researchers employed by universities for faculty-type research such as grant proposals and articles for university published journals and which are produced in connection with universities in South Korea will be allowed to use the software.

The service is not to be used by teachers, students or other university faculty staff for any other purpose, including the checking of student work.

Will Murray, Vice President of International at iParadigms, said: “This adoption will provide institutions with a tool to ensure that all submitted scholarly research is of the highest calibre.

“Holistic approaches for addressing academic integrity including originality checking software are essential in order to build a culture of honesty in academic and scholarly work.”

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For further information please contact our Communications Officer on (0) 845 643 0105 or intmedia@turnitin.com