Plagiarism is a really big issue not a lot of people like to talk about. It is kind of shameful to admit for a student that he or she plagiarises but teachers and professors have to deal with it professionally. There is protocol, you should and must follow when encountering plagiarism. It is a big deal and a growing concern because around one seventh of US students have plagiarised their papers at least once. So, what about teachers, how to search for plagiarism and identify it?
Visual cues
First off, if a student had mediocre or low grades and you saw him or her struggling with your subject, but they hand in a perfect paper – subtle alarms should be raised. Not saying that he or she had no potential, but occurrences out of the blue should raise your suspicion. Question them privately and if you see some inconsistencies – proceed.
Use a checker
Plagiarism checker for teachers is the next logical step. Use something, like the one here: https://www.plagramme.com/free-plagiarism-checker-teachers. If you upload their paper and it shows up as red, flagging a lot of warnings about possible plagiarism, teachers should be aware of the situation. If a plagiarism checker shows threats and negative scores – it is most definitely a case of plagiarism. So, to be sure, just upload the document and scan it. If the results prove it, your suspicions are also proven.
Once proven, follow protocol
There is certain academic or professional code you should follow. Make sure you know it, but usually that means reporting to designated authorities and informing higher ups about the situation.
