Dear @Miranda, it is not the question of plagiarism only. We do speak about to teach scientific communication skills and writing skills in English, right. And, it should not only English language that matters! I do agree with @Andras!

There were, behind plagiarism threads, some good threads with many answers, very good answers about scientific communication skills and writing skills in English.

For some of them I will attach the appropriate links.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_non-English_speaking_researchers_improve_their_writing_skills_for_better_communication_with_the_scientific_community?_sg=wEABDsAJi9v94A0ywVdVMpesliiXxcdaq4BL5VRKrV4z62t%2BPETCTwBQ8w1jay%2BV_ZM5RMSJ4YPoN9t5XX4491Xns1x9J6N3jwNjm16MzJGuyy4MrYo6HTAV7BmjVKHFX_uWMT4qLR4JMR1wg02CYnplU%2BSK6ipRdj2VfJUW%2Feg8KIO6WNB%2F6ez0KI%2FxQRDOSw&_tpcectx=search

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Should_university_professors_also_serve_as_teachers_of_scientific_language_and_writing?_sg=2rorF1XRRUIy10J2DBSc1IeSkv2mxVTlnOkc%2FuBHJQSwq9n4ijq1tDuOEMrfS0NK_Ny%2BNYTbxuiV%2BHtKLJXDHnqBm7Hj6euwE5fCh71yvbrXmsVru%2F%2FDAmivFkfQ7gJpk_cFTZ0HgfpWHJ0xyGoENEKpiO6lkKUu%2FGhfgURr2yCwT2q5DZaC5LkEX5VNtg8HcS&_tpcectx=search

When I first came to teach at matriculation college (K12), students were passing up a group report, but it took me some time to convince them that writing individual reports would be helpful to give them practice to improve skills in scientific communication, so that they could more easily write a thesis in the university.  At first it seemed to the students that they would have to do a lot of 'extra work'.

But I had to insist on it because someone has to take responsibility to equip students with writing skills and prevent more plagiarism.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_do_you_think_about_plagiarism_in_science?_tpcectx=profile_questions

I thinks there are more than questions that you are asking in this post. So far as plagiarism is concerned, the university should come out with a policy of "No tolerance"  on it. I just taught a course elsewhere and students wrote open book 3-hour examination on computer, and then the answers were sent to me through WISEFLOW software. When opened the page, it automatically reported which student had copied from the sources available on the net. Only 10 % is permitted. I will penalize one out of 29 students in whose case the copying is 29%. The university believes in empowerment, and gives me the discretion, whether I fail the student or give a lower grade depending on the percentage of plagiarism. 

Thanks Prof Debi.  You understand me very well.  Recently I worked on motivation to study science.  I received a lot of material from RG friends and also from Prof G, the one who validated the questionnaire.  I found and read other sources on internet.  One of them seemed to 'copy' a sentence, putting in just 2 extra words!  And it's on internet!  I was amazed, is it allowed at all, I wonder.  (I don't have plagiarism checker.)

Dear  Miranda

So far as teaching communication skills is concerned, it is more a question of attitude and motivation of the student concerned, and support from others. Communication has been identified as the most important skill by researchers for managers. It has to be developed by the school and parents, who can motivate the children for improving it through various interventions. It needs the following:

--promoting the students' belief in dignity of dissent and discourse

--regular practice, and improving on one's weakness in this regard

--proactive efforts on the part of parents & teachers; hence need for good schooling

--Introducing written & oral communication courses at the school level

--Incentivised interventions for promoting it amongst the students, who are not self-motivated

@Miranda, there are some software able to check the sentences already present in current literature. For many journals, plagiarysm is considered when more than the 5% of sentences have been already reported in other articles. I have experienced something of what reported with one of my fellows. On the other hand, these software are not perfect because sometimes consider as plagiarysm some definitions which are universally stated and cannot have been copied. So the use of these software must be encouraged, but their use needs to be a "smart use".

@Enzo, thanks for the details: 'For many journals, plagiarism is considered when more than the 5% of sentences have been already reported in other articles.'  Plagiarism will lead to decline of scholarship; and it is threatening to our research and publish culture that hinges on honesty and trust.

Teaching scientific communication especially technical writing is very important as the documentary evidence of any research adds on to the knowledge repository. But avoiding plagiarism first should start from the researcher or communicator itself and ofcourse there are many softwares which keep a check on it atleast to some extent

My heavens, times have changed from when I was teaching! Plagiarism in my day meant copying of any sort, but of course the internet didn´t exist. Today for our dear friend Debi it signifies above 10%.  This means SOME tolerance for plagiarism.  

Debi is right, multiple questions appear here. Leaving plagiarism aside, there are oral and there are written communication skills. Though they differ, written feeds off oral skills, which should be prioritized. Teach use of scientific terms in oral presentations, and written ones will automatically improve, acquiring greater rigor.  Are improved elocution skills desirable for oral presentation?  The answer will vary from subject to subject.  We need to teach our students to enunciate with expression and concision and to minimize verbal crutches.   

Teaching the students effective and practical reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

Dear All,

I think one should not restrict this question to English written works. Students preparing their diploma work (which is not a thesis) try to make the least efforts and it occurs often that some cheat. Regarding my experiences with students and being familiar with their knowledge level, until know I have been able to recognise their swindles without any software. Of course it needs to read the essay or diploma work and some efforts. I remark there was earlier an RG thread exclusively on anti plagiarism software. Universities provide regularly software like that because of the high cheating rate.

Dear All,

I think plagiarism must be connected with the very one sided communication performance that is when one thinks that the performance quality is in direct proportion to the communication standard. It is no wonder that many (not only students but also some “scientists”) endeavour to cheat and create results without hard work and efforts.

Dear All,

I think a teacher should show a good example in his/her own publication behaviour as well as the university should indicate unambiguously that cheating and plagiarism are not tolerated. Unfortunately, teachers at many colleges tolerate plagiarism committed by students.

Dear @Miranda, it is not the question of plagiarism only. We do speak about to teach scientific communication skills and writing skills in English, right. And, it should not only English language that matters! I do agree with @Andras!

There were, behind plagiarism threads, some good threads with many answers, very good answers about scientific communication skills and writing skills in English.

For some of them I will attach the appropriate links.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_can_non-English_speaking_researchers_improve_their_writing_skills_for_better_communication_with_the_scientific_community?_sg=wEABDsAJi9v94A0ywVdVMpesliiXxcdaq4BL5VRKrV4z62t%2BPETCTwBQ8w1jay%2BV_ZM5RMSJ4YPoN9t5XX4491Xns1x9J6N3jwNjm16MzJGuyy4MrYo6HTAV7BmjVKHFX_uWMT4qLR4JMR1wg02CYnplU%2BSK6ipRdj2VfJUW%2Feg8KIO6WNB%2F6ez0KI%2FxQRDOSw&_tpcectx=search

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Should_university_professors_also_serve_as_teachers_of_scientific_language_and_writing?_sg=2rorF1XRRUIy10J2DBSc1IeSkv2mxVTlnOkc%2FuBHJQSwq9n4ijq1tDuOEMrfS0NK_Ny%2BNYTbxuiV%2BHtKLJXDHnqBm7Hj6euwE5fCh71yvbrXmsVru%2F%2FDAmivFkfQ7gJpk_cFTZ0HgfpWHJ0xyGoENEKpiO6lkKUu%2FGhfgURr2yCwT2q5DZaC5LkEX5VNtg8HcS&_tpcectx=search

Also, under this thread, 173 answers were placed. It is about teaching graduate students to read and write academic papers!

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_you_teach_graduate_students_to_read_and_write_academic_papers?_sg=wjR%2BLy0Iaxt4F%2BuSdNGBQwpJ8UFQ92%2BM%2BJpeZvATB%2FdGav7Rx%2BAQhEk2kd6tgYIb_w51EgIBoQfFoGIJTxW%2B8wXytqNGMHQRPLqpACmATJyqPPitav%2FdPp9mQl6HC4XkO_HbDbWuym2rx40lFdWjlwxgIEVt9x9LFHbAond4ByABRaeBO7p4ipXcxU0mKyi3r3&_tpcectx=search

I agree with Deby, there are more than question. U think that one of the reason of such pladiarusm is a "net" as well as modern programms, whcih allow researches to save a lot ofg time, but, form the other side, led to lowering the level..It is not so muc reason now to leasrn a good communicaton skell, because one can easy copy paste form exioting paper/reports...

Thanks for your posts, dear friends.

@Andras, it is very bad that 'scientists endeavor to cheat and create results without hard work and efforts' and 'teachers at many colleges tolerate plagiarism committed by students'.  As I see it, we must be tough against copying from school.  We need to be strict when it comes to ethics.

Dear Prof Ljubomir, thanks for bringing in related threads.  I asked the question, because I was thinking that students did not intend to plagiarize, but they did so due to ignorance and personal weaknesses.  Ignorance can be corrected and weakness in scientific writing can be overcome.  But if they knew it was wrong and still want to do it, we must not accept it at all.

1)To prevent plagiarism: a simple and clear warning that every two found copied works will both marked with a big zero

2)To identify plagiarism: a)use of software as a lazy solution b)place students in a coordinate-like room, like cinemas, with rows and columns, so you can find easy the neighborhood writers c)forbid the use of every smart-or not-phone.

Dear friends, Demetris et al., what is your estimate of the % of students who plagiarize due to ignorance as compared to those who do it, knowing it's wrong; to challenge authority, to take things easy (and be lazy and dishonest)?

A simple solution to prevent plagiarism on homework assignments, tests, and exams: require all this be completed during classroom only, with pencil/pen and paper, with no internet access (computer, smartphone, iPad, etc).  This method has worked quite well since the days of Socrates.  To prevent/detect plagiarism on thesis and dissertations that are completed outside of classroom, it is necessary to use a "copy" (plagiarism) detection software application.  Sadly, a college education is so costly and a degree is so valuable that many students will take advantage to cheat if given the opportunity.

Dear James Bowman, thanks for the practical methods you have suggested.  Friends, can we conclude that the % of students who plagiarize, unintentionally or due to ignorance is very small?  

Do you think it's fair to say that students plagiarize, not because they lack communication skills to put their cited ideas in their own words, to re-frame their sentences?  Is it fair to say that students who plagiarize do not look for satisfaction in doing original work, but would opt for the easy way that is unethical?  What are your views on this?

The proportion of students inadvertently plagiarising is small, even though this is the most common but weakest excuse presented after being caught. 99% (my best guesstimate) of students who plagiarise (and are either caught or escape detection) know it is wrong. A good proportion (>50%?) do not know all the subtleties of plagiarism. (E.g., that giving a false reference is counted as plagiarism, or that punishment for plagiarism may include, inter alia, a fine.)

This week there was a partial report (reproduced below) on local plagiarising and cheaters that had been detected and fully followed through. The figures differ wildly, depending on the astuteness of staff, persistence of prosecuting, and cultural backgrounds. A big university has a retired legal man doing nothing except preparing cheating and plagiarising cases against caught students. (Morning cheating; afternoon plagiarising cases?!) (The underneath of calculators has replaced shirt cuffs for crib notes.)

Cheating rife at SA universities

August 17 2014 at 04:23pm

By SAPA

Johannesburg - University students are brazenly cheating in test and exams, the Sunday Times reported.

At the universities of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch and North West, as well as Unisa, among others, more than 1400 students have been found guilty of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, in the past year.

Experts agreed this figure was just the tip of the iceberg because many cheats were never caught.

Figures uncovered during the Sunday Times investigations of students cheating did not cover all tertiary educational institutions in this country because only 10 of the 23 responded to a request for data.

Higher education Deputy Minister Mduduzi Manana said he was worried about cheating and that academics had also spoken out.

“We don't need half-baked graduates in our country. We need graduates who have acquired enough knowledge to take it forward,” said Manana.

“We have said to our institutions that they must tighten all loose ends. Those who think they can get away with murder and cheat must be exposed,” said Manana.

In response to widespread cheating, the University of SA (Unisa) barred 519 students from studying for at least three years for using 'unauthorised material' during exams.

It permanently expelled 20 students for buying or selling exam papers.

Figures provided by other universities showed that 535 students cheated or plagiarised at North West University, 153 did so at the University of Johannesburg, 66 at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 35 at Stellenbosch University, 31 at the University of Witwatersrand, and 27 at the University of the Western Cape.

Sapa

Amazing, Ian, and it's also sad. But I surely agree: '“We don't need half-baked graduates in our country. We need graduates who have acquired enough knowledge to take it forward,” said Manana.

“We have said to our institutions that they must tighten all loose ends. Those who think they can get away with murder and cheat must be exposed,” said Manana.'

Brave and honest Minister.  How I wish there are more of such politicians!

Dear Miranda,

Without a little research it is not possible to assess the rate and relationship of ignorance, laziness and lack of correctness. I think these 3 factors are mixed with each other. However, regarding my experiences and the spirit of our era laziness and the lack of moral predominate. Ignorance can be decreased with diligence and hard work. Both of them need willingness and efforts.

Students can see and experience each day that for having a “career “ not hard work and intelligence are needed but flattering, good contacts and flexibility. They keep smiling when listening to teachers like me preaching on correctness, ethics, hard work and fair play.

It is quite interesting in the era of communication to be extremely worried by plagiarism, I find that many researcher start from someone elses work and eventually develop their own. However I have seen teachers taking posession of papers written by their students and pretending it was their own. So I believe that some scientific research may need to be kept secret or unseen but also believe that cooperation in research may prove more resultful as new ideas may permeate all sides and end up being a far better result. The issue is are we keen on money or do we want results which may benefit many. Exception made for PhD papers.

Dear András as a Hungarian descent I must say that my father was a student in hungary where the "erétsegy" I do not know if it was spelled right but I am sure you understand, was performed in the university library where the students were allowed to open any book on the shelves and I was told there were thousands, as in real life it is common to have to check your information with other authors and double check with peers, at that time we approach plagiarism as we will have the possibility of taking other´s ideas and incorporate it to our work so....... what can we say?

Jonapot kivánok

Jorge Kell

Dear Ruchi, friends: 'Original writing demands time and that is one crucial factor why many students follow shortcuts, simply copy someone's stuff'.  It's certainly true that some of us work so hard and at times get 1 paper in a year, at times 4, and sometimes zero.  But it's OURS, and we are happy and satisfied with our work. Without the hard work, there will be no satisfaction, and plagiarism will kill off scholarship.  I think you will agree.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/scientific-peer-review3.htm

Dear Andras et al., actually I am interested in a research on ethics.  But some of those interested at the beginning didn't keep up the momentum, the interest.  Besides that I want to complete another paper in learning.  Unlike some of you, I don't have summer holidays, and I still have to work on weekends.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_methods_would_you_select_to_conduct_a_research_on_the_practice_of_research_ethics_among_your_graduate_students?_tpcectx=profile_questions

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_anyone_interested_in_doing_a_research_in_self-directed_learning_or_independent_learning_of_first_year-college_or_K12_students?_tpcectx=profile_questions

Best way is that you yourself teach them writing skills by involving them in 2-3 papers of yours, giving small jobs to write some small popular / technical articles, then can modify and edit yourself while involving them on computer, then teach them some skills of computer, how to download as per key words of the topic,  ask them to read available literature with them. Through this continuous process of grooming and trimming I hope within a year or two any student can develop writing skills. Also teach them values of hardworks, enthusiasm, sincerity and team spirit.

Thanks for good answers, Kuldeep and friends.  I like this:

'Best way is that you yourself teach them writing skills by involving them in 2-3 papers of yours, giving small jobs to write some small popular / technical articles'...'teach them values of hardwork, enthusiasm, sincerity and team spirit'.

Dear Miranda,

The factors determining knowledge of languages are the follows:

Motivation X diligence (hard work) / psychical inhibition = language knowledge

In the lack of motivation and diligence the possible best method is good for nothing.

I would say the best method is to live at least for 6 months in the target country. I note I have already met a young man who spent 3 years in an English speaking country but he was unable to pass a relatively simple language exam.

Dear Peaches, Andras, thanks for your views.  'Tough love is sometimes the best prevention. '  This is so.  Actually my students are supposed to write up a report, without using word processor or computer.  But they are given 3 days to submit it.

Dear Andras, here, we have a legacy of good English, but that has been decaying.  However, next year 2015 is the full establishment of the Asean Economic Community and bring the effects of globalization nearer home.  Good communication skills in the international language is even more important.

http://www.iskandarmalaysia.com.my/sites/default/files/IM%20BizWatch%20Apr%202014.pdf

Dear Miranda,

Once a week I have been bombed by letters of an American language school which wants to sell me the secret how to speak efficiently English…

Some chapters that may help -

http://www.amazon.com/Communicating-Century-Istudy-Version-University/dp/0730303349/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1411562810&sr=8-17&keywords=baden+eunson 

Plagiarism is more prevalent than what many think. Students have the habit of negative collaboration (copying laboratory reports & home works from other students). I even observed that the 4th year students (who are supposed to be more mature) also cheat in literature surveys or case studies.

Teaching the students more English courses did not solve the problem. You may be surprised to know that our students have good English when it comes to Facebook , Twitter , and SMS messages but their capabilities diminish when it comes to academic writing.

The problem is related to social effects & what is found in society moves on to university’s premises. The society is full with dishonesty & deceit.

Thanks @Andras, @Baden and Dr Nizar.  I agree that Plagiarism is very prevalent.  Students seem to be good at sms and FB language, but they can't manage academic language.  They have more interest and experience in sms, but they have less interest and are rather lazy to be subject to the rigors of academic writing.  Thanks for honest and brave comments, dear Dr Nizar.  Education doesn't always mean that ethics are loved and upheld.  This is our present academic world.  But let's continue to uphold ethics and a clear conscience...

Have a look at REF-N-WRITE scientific paper writing tool. This tool allows you to import text from previous papers relevant to the subject area in MS word. While you are writing your paper, you can just search for similar statements from other authors and inherit their vocabulary and language to improve your paper. It also comes with a library of academic phrases that you can readily use to polish your paper. Here is the link for the site.

http://www.ref-n-write.com

They have some nice tutorials here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf7qyyKtbyQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6hlXzqO3r4

Available information over the internet makes the writing by copy and paste more easy. So we have to learn the students to rewrite by their own way, and use their own words.

Optimizing students’ scientific communication skills through higher order thinking virtual laboratory (HOTVL)

Communication skill is one skill that is very needed in this 21st century. Preparing and teaching this skill in teaching physics is relatively important. The focus of this research is to optimizing of students’ scientific communication skills after the applied higher order thinking virtual laboratory (HOTVL) ...

Communication skill is skill in delivering or sharing the ideas about knowledge which had been acquired. Communication ability also defined as ability in delivering and giving information and speaking and writing ability. Communication skill comprise oral, written and nonverbal communication skill...

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1013/1/012050/pdf