WriteCheck even provides what they call a Writing Center with resources and best practices to help students write their papers and links to the International Writing Centers Association, providing a claim to ethos that is not reciprocated on the IWCA’s site. WriteCheck for Students appears as an outlier when compared to the previous spaces its friendly, reassuring tone describes how the service will provide a similarity score (rather than an originality check, deemphasizing the role of originality) and will offer feedback and explanations on spelling, style, grammar, mechanics and usage errors, all elements that are familiar and non-threatening if a student has taken a modern composition class before. iThenticate also offers problematic discussions of non-native English speakers/authors in its discussions of self-plagiarism, with testimonials that tout "re-education of researchers in emerging countries" for authors with "a poor grasp of English." This attitude implies that Western understandings of plagiarism are correct and remediation is necessary for those who fail to comply.
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Unlike, where plagiarism is constructed as a moral issue akin to stealing, iThenticate poses the idea of self-plagiarism as one caught up in capitalistic understandings of writing as property. Publisher’s copyright" ("iThenticate White Paper," n.d., p. The ethical issue of self-plagiarism is significant, especially because self-plagiarism can infringe upon a The discussion continues on whether self-plagiarism is possible, Unlike the heavy focus on plagiarism or the attention to spelling and grammar that Turnitin and WriteCheck, respectively, showcase, iThenticate narrows in on research misconduct and, intriguingly, what it calls "self-plagiarism." In a white paper on the subject, iThenticate attempts to define self-plagiarism while also admitting that the concept itself is controversial: "While As with other branches of the iParadigms empire, iThenticate's website establishes its message in part through user testimonials. These services thereby reinforce power differentials by noting that their use allows schools to admit the “right” candidates and publishers to prevent misconduct in research. Identifying their intended audience members-admissions counselors, members of journal review boards, and so on-as professionals with a gatekeeping role, Turnitin for Admissions and iThenticate verify the authenticity (read: the original authorship) of the materials submitted. In contrast, both Turnitin for Admissions and iThenticate forthrightly describe their use as plagiarism detection. Given the spate of past lawsuits from students wary of uploading their intellectual property to Turnitin’s extensive databases, the site is savvy in downplaying the plagiarism detection aspect of its product, instead reassuring nervous students that it merely checks for improper citation or potential plagiarism. For example, Turnitin, the most well-known of the four services offered by iParadigms, is careful to describe itself not as a plagiarism detection service (though colloquially and in practice that is indeed its role) but instead explains its role as a means of checking for unoriginality or potential plagiarism. WriteCheck was developed with the guidance and input of instructors who saw the need for a simple service to help students identify and correct writing mistakes in a formative manner.”Īll of these services are offered by iParadigms, LLC, but each highlights a different aspect of its services and thereby reinforces the cultural anxieties of the intended user group and the relationships between the individuals who make up the matrix of power within which the product is enmeshed. WriteCheck “helps students become better writers by identifying grammar errors and unoriginal content in written work. IThenticate is “the leading provider of professional plagiarism detection and prevention technology used prevent misconduct” Turnitin for Admissions offers “plagiarism detection for admissions offices helps schools admit the right candidates” (emphasis mine)
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ITHENTICATE® PROFESSIONAL PLAGIARISM PREVENTION SOFTWARE
Turnitin’s Originalit圜heck is software to “check students’ work for improper citation or potential plagiarism”
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Note the varying audiences and values embedded in iParadigms’ descriptions of its services: Examining contradictory assumptions and language across the different sites sponsored by iParadigms, LLC (which include, ,, and Turnitin for Admissions, among others) additionally showcases how iParadigms carefully constructs varying personae based on its assumed audience, what Trimbur (1991) noted as the mastery (rhetorically, if not actually) of cultural anxieties, relationships, and conflicts between groups (p.