By any other name…

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I am pleased to see that Campus Technology has removed one of its puzzling links since my original post Boggled! a few weeks ago.  No credit to me, I didn’t advise them of the problem. The other problem link is still there, and I have advised them about this one.

The problem link is the one to CopyScape. Although it says “Copyscape” on the page, the link (still) takes you to Plagiarisma.net which bills itself as “Duplicate Content Checker for Students, Teachers, Writers. Free Turnitin Alternative.” How this link got in, why the confusion with CopyScape, that’s not clear. Another mystery.

The Plagiarisma site has evolved. When I first came across it, it billed itself as “Free Online Plagiarism Checker and Duplicate Content Finder” (as you can see from this link to the Internet Archive), and the more canny amongst us know there is no such thing as a plagiarism checker, the online detection services can only search for matching text. It is up to the human reader to decide whether matched text has been plagiarised or not.

This is not the only way that plagiarisma.net has changed. It now offers an “Article Rewriter.”  So as well as telling a user whether the plagiarisma search tools can find matches for his/ her text, the user can then use the “article rewriter” to rewrite the possibly offending text.

Good luck!

I copied a paragraph from one of my earlier posts into the article rewriter, clicked on “Run Synonimzer,” and got what I deserved.

Original paragraph:

EasyBib is a site which helps students generate consistent and accurate references; one reason for its popularity is because it tries to make things easy for the student;  type in a book ISBN or a website’s URL and back comes a reference in whatever style the writer chooses. EasyBib does not cover all types of source, and it often makes mistakes.  The student has to stay alert and has to THINK!  But that is for another post.)

Synonymized paragraph:

EasyBib is a situation which helps students harbour orderly and unerring references; team a few show for its notability is seeing meander it tries to vindicate chattels cinch for the votary; brand in a register ISBN or a website’s URL and back comes a reference in whatever style the writer chooses. EasyBib does slogan arse approximately types of source, and it often makes mistakes. The apprentice has to tarry crucial and has to THINK! But that is for different designation.)

Free lunches? You certainly get what you pay for!

There are other reasons for being cautious with Plagiarisma.net – but I am saving these for a future post.

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