Studies indicate software effective against plagiarism

With the tremendous educational technology growth of recent years comes both achievement and peril. Students may use their computers to produce creative work of the highest order -or they may use them to avoid doing any work at all.

Over half a million educators at more than 9,000 high schools and colleges in 110 countries use have turned to specialized software to fight against cheating and plagiarism. At the same time, they're using tools which enhance their teaching efficiency.

"We've known for a long time that our solutions make a significant contribution to better teaching and more original student writing.  These studies are conclusive evidence that Turnitin and WriteCycle achieve consistent, long-term results," said Chris Caren, CEO of iParadigms. "Now, a growing body of quantitative data shows just how big the impact is."

A statistical analysis of 7 years of data from high school and college submissions to Turnitin found that after two years of Turnitin use, serious instances of unoriginal content and plagiarism in student writing decreased by 20 percent or more. After four years, institutions experience improvements of 35 - 70 percent. Independent research studies show that Turnitin is substantially more effective than manual plagiarism detection methods. Additionally, a recent survey of educators showed that Turnitin and WriteCycle not only reduced plagiarism, but also helped improve writing skills, reduced instructor workloads and increased productivity.