91% of examples
showed that students did not understand the basics of evidence.
The Citation Project –
20 researchers, 164 papers from “first year composition classes” in many types of
institutions in 12 states, and 1,832 citations
Statement
about the “stunning part” of the research:
“91 percent [of the 1, 832
citations] are citations to material that isn't composing,” said Jamieson [one
of the two main authors of the study]. “They don't digest the ideas in the
material cited and put it in their own words.”
What
did the researchers find about:
·
The
9 percent of successful citation
Those citations
showed that the students had a “true
understanding of a large portion, if not the entirety, of the original text.”
Successful citation showed that students “restated in their own terms the
source material and compressed by at least 50 percent the main points of at
least three consecutive sentences.”
·
The
91% of unsuccessful citation
These students did these things:
o
plagiarized
o
“patchwriting”[1]
o
paraphrased
so poorly that the citation showed “comprehension of a small portion, perhaps a
sentence, of the source material”
If You Want More: For a link to an article on the Citation
project, click The
Citation Project
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WCJC Department: |
History – Dr. Bibus |
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Contact Information: |
281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu |
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Last Updated: |
2014 |
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[1]“Patchwriting” is also called “half-copy” plagiarism. The quoted terms are explained on page 746 in the ninth edition of The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers.