Philippine E-Journals

Efficacy of Plagiarism Detection Software for Quality Assurance of a Research Journal

Genaro V. Japos | Bernard A. Gutierrez | Jun Brian P. Tubongbanua

Discipline: Information Technology

 

Abstract:

Plagiarism in research undermines credibility of journal publications. Plagiarism detection addresses this problem. The study validated the efficacy of the plagiarism detector software for quality assurance of a journal publication. Using descriptive method, the study examined 66 plagiarism detector reports and compared the extent of originality and plagiarism of the research article before and after adoption of the plagiarism detector accumulator technology. Results revealthat the journal had a high level of originality (91.31%) and low level of plagiarism (8.34%). Only 23.72 percentof the 550 detected cases were validated as true plagiarism, giving the software an efficacy rate of 24 percent. The sources of plagiarism included the web links, wikipedia, news, social networking sites, and blogs, among others. The use of these sources indicated the citation of grey literature and non-authoritative sources. Failure to properly document sources was the main cause of plagiarism. The software, however, cannot penetrate the secured databases of subscription journals-thus; plagiarism from these sources evades detection. Plagiarism detection software is effective in intercepting plagiarized sources which elude the scrutiny of the editorial board prior to final publication. The editorial board’s strong quality assurance mechanism and the intervention scheme reduced the incidents of plagiarism in 2009.