Atlanta-Based Software Company Addresses Plagiarism Problem.

Paper writing for students becomes more productive AND plagiarism can be prevented.

(PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Atlanta-based software development company, Uniting Networks Incorporated (UNI), has announced that it has written software that addresses the growing problem facing educators and students at all levels in the education system: plagiarism. The software, PowerResearcher, is designed to prevent plagiarism rather than detect it after the offence has been committed.

Plagiarism is a growing concern amongst educators both in this country and abroad. In a 2003 Rutgers University study of 18,000 students, 2,600 faculty and 650 teaching assistants on 23 campuses, the study found that thirty eight percent of the undergraduate students completing the survey indicated they had engaged in one or more instances of cut-and-paste plagiarism using the internet in the past year". This represented, the study found, a dramatic increase from the 10% who acknowledged ‘cut and paste plagiarism in a similar survey conducted only two years ago".

Weve addressed the plagiarism problem differently," says Stephan Botes, President of UNI. We have given the researchers and writers of papers a methodology and tools to avoid committing plagiarism". Most software currently being used provides detection, as opposed to true prevention, solutions".

Detection services are all similar in that they attempt to detect plagiarism after it has been committed and rely on the threat of detection, presumably coupled with punishment, as a deterrent", says Doug Beasley, Vice President, Operations at UNI. However, there are issues with present detection technology". He points out that, in a study done by Weinstein and Dobkin of the University of California in Berkeley, it was noted, Only a small fraction of total Internet content can be analyzed".

Before PowerResearcher, little was done to provide technology tools to researchers and students that guided them in correctly conducting research and increasing their productivity while doing so", states Beasley. PowerResearcher is a Research Development Environment" (RDE), which is; software that enables, organizes, accelerates and monitors the research and writing process and creates a better communication vehicle between colleagues or educators and students".

PowerResearcher is a Windows-based desktop application that allows its users to do research, file information and write a paper all in a single interface. PowerResearcher transfers data in compressed files, making the passing of files from one desktop to another easy to do. Teachers can control each project and can check on students project research content and sources by clicking a button. Students can collaborate on projects, sharing work without problem.

PowerResearchers 360-degree Assignment Model enables the teacher or tutor to prepare and pre-format an Assignment Starter Project within PowerResearcher and pass the project to the students together with any other materials that can digitally be sent. These materials could include lesson plans, assignment deadlines, sample web pages, templates, citation examples; any digital content that can be packaged can be passed to the students. Students hand in their projects digitally, too, completing the 360-degree cycle.

Professors/teachers/instructors can grade the projects in one interface, verifying sources, accuracy of quotes and relevance.

Students save significant amounts of time by doing their research and filing their research results in a well-organized file structure. Automatic citations and bibliography creation, plus the automatic updating of a Research Log, give both teachers and students the citation information they need to prevent accidental plagiarism and reduce the temptation and opportunity to commit intentional plagiarism.

Research can be done on-line and, when everything needed for a project has been captured within PowerResearcher the project can be completed offline, in a different physical location if desired. This allows for research to be done in a library and completed at home, allowing students without access to Internet connections to optimize their time. It also enables students working at home to free up the internet connection for others in the home waiting on line.

We are very excited about PowerResearcher", says Botes. We are ready to get the product into the market and feel that our timing is perfect. Plagiarism is of such concern to educators right now and one of the main features in our software is the manner in which we make it so easy to not plagiarize. Other features improve productivity and connectivity, but the plagiarism prevention benefit is attracting a lot of attention".

PowerResearcher has been installed at several pilot sites at universities and schools in the USA and internationally and the feedback were getting is very encouraging", says Botes.