What prevents ESL/EFL writers from avoiding plagiarism?: Analyses of 10 North-American college websites

Abstract While previous discussions on plagiarism in ESL/EFL contexts have served to inform researchers and educators how differences in cultural and ideological backgrounds can influence people's understanding of textual appropriation and literacy, little has been discussed as to how inexperienced ESL/EFL writers can be helped to avoid plagiarism. The present study analyzes 10 North-American college websites on plagiarism, which provide a window to understanding how this issue has been problematized and explained in Anglophone academic contexts. First this paper argues that beliefs expressed in these websites are not unique, but resemble those expressed in previously published research, writing manuals, and textbooks on how to help students cope with plagiarism. Particular attention is paid to two ideas that have often been neglected when discussing anti-plagiarism measures: the difficulty of using paraphrases and heavy involvement of using inference in writing unplagiarized work. The present study argues that though documentation and use of paraphrases are two important countermeasures to plagiarism, there needs to be more emphasis on the role of inferential thinking in instructing inexperienced writers to use multiple sources. It concludes that ESL/EFL instructors as well as researchers and materials writers need to highlight this aspect of writing.