Chapter 7-8 Test

My research for Core 4 is more of an argument of definition than an argument of fact. Since my research evaluates the effectiveness of plagiarism detection services, my conclusion can only define the level of effectiveness and not give a definite answer. For example, the Lunsford text gives an example of the definition of an American. It states that an American cannot be labeled as a specific person from a specific place, but more of an idea of freedom (223). My research is similar to this argument because no one can give an exact answer to what is effective and what is not. Each individual person’s expectations, and what he or she wants to receive from a plagiarism detection service, can define the effectiveness of these services. The teachers that use plagiarism detection services view them as very effective. On the other hand, the students who have their essays submitted into these services disagree. They feel that repeated essay topics lead to similar sentence and word structures from student to student and are returned as plagiarized, when they aren’t. According to the Lunsford text, my argument of definition is considered to be an operational definition. It states “Operational definitions identify an object or idea not by what it is so much as by what it does or by the conditions that create it” (225). My research doesn’t evaluate the facts of what a plagiarism detection service is, but evaluates what it does to decrease its effectiveness.


Much like Wysocki and Eilola, my research explains that plagiarism detection services cannot be determined as effective or not as a fact. They discuss how the term “literacy” is becoming ambiguous and is losing its true meaning. The term “effective” is also losing its meaning. Wysocki and Eilola state “ Too much is hidden by ‘literacy,’ we think, too much packed into those letters” (349). Their article is directed towards defining what literacy really is without it being used as an umbrella term. My research will also be directed towards defining what students and teachers find as effective. I will define if plagiarism detection services are effective using previous student submitted essays. Selber wrote an article that also had an argument of definition. He states “ No one metaphor could be complete and sufficient by itself, but collectively they offer a diversity of perspectives…” (24). Selber means that literacy cannot simply have one true meaning, but it needs multiple meanings to fully describe itself. When related to efficiency, Selber implies that research cannot give a set answer to whether plagiarism detection services are effective. My research can only define how effective teachers think detection services are and if it is different from what students think.