We require all memos to be submitted electronically through a course website (Blackboard) in Word. This enables us to issue the following policy that eliminates concerns about plagiarism:
”We encourage you to work together and to seek help when you need it. Our only requirement is that you write your own memo in your own words.”
Invariably, two or three students will copy each other’s work sometime in the beginning of the semester. Because each writer’s voice comes through so strongly even in the memo genre, duplication is easy to detect. Furthermore, technology is an aid in identifying copying. For example, Microsoft Word has a feature called compare and merge documents (under tools) that superimposes one document upon another showing all differences in red (every space, every comma, whole chunks of text, etc.) or, more importantly, no differences. Tips on using this tool are available in the Instructor’s Guide. Once identified, instructors can respond with the following notification: ”Computer analysis shows that significant portions of your memo and Mike’s memo are identical. While we encourage you to work together, we do require that you do your own write up. Friendly warning.” There are no copying problems from this point on. Maybe word gets around the class about the ”computer analysis.”