Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up Call (2000) by Ann Lathrop and Kathleen Foss, while aimed at an audience of high school and middle school teachers, has much useful information for college professors as well. The authors relate not only the now familiar fact--papers are readily available on the Web to download free or buy--but they also tell the ways students modify these papers to present them as their own and use handheld or worn electronic devices like pagers and palm pilots to cheat.

Several chapters may be of interest to faculty members. Chapter 14, "Structuring Assignments to Reduce Plagiarism," suggests evaluating both the process of research as well as the product (178-181). Susan J. Davis's article in that chapter, "Teaching Practices that Encourage or Eliminate Student Plagiarism," presents a model of the research process and points out that teachers inadvertently encourage plagiarism by giving broad or overly vague topics (182-83). She presents ways to rethink research assignments.

The chapter "Tools for Writing Without Plagiarizing" ends with "Antiplagiarism Strategies for Research Papers" by Robert Harris, who presents a three-faceted approach for educators that emphasizes awareness, prevention, and detection.

The authors relate survey results showing that schools with honors codes like the one at Presbyterian College do have a lower incidence of cheating. The two plagiarism cases this past fall, however, should keep us from complacency. Julie Roach, Honor Council Chair, says that "many plagiarism cases arise due to students' lack of understanding of plagiarism," particularly in their use of Web sites. We need to educate ourselves and our students about the temptations of electronic plagiarism and how to avoid them.

Davis, Susan J. "Teaching Practices that Encourage or Eliminate Student Plagiarism." Lathrop and
Foss, 182-186.

Lathrop, Ann, and Kathleen Foss. Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-Up
Call. Englewood, CO: LibrariesUnlimited, 2000.

Harris, Robert. "Antiplagiarism Strategies for Research Papers." Lathrop and Foss, 193-196.

For the review of another new book--The Journal Book, edited by Toby Fulwiler--see "Journals: A Proven Idea On Paper or Online."