Plagiarism-detection alternatives sought

After announcing it will drop a plagiarism detection service popular with many professors, Kansas University says it is now exploring alternative detection aids, KU spokeswoman Lynn Bretz said Friday.

“We’re certainly open to providing the best tool we can that’s also effective,” Bretz said.

KU notified faculty recently that it was discontinuing its subscription to the online plagiarism detection service Turnitin.com because of cost and copyright concerns.

The move angered some instructors who rely on the service to vet papers and determine whether students lift work from the Internet or other sources. Some were concerned because the changes came midsemester, after many had already placed notice of Turnitin on their course syllabi.

Bretz said KU hopes to find a good alternative before the current Turnitin subscription ends Oct. 3.