by Christoph Wieselhuber — Image: Megan Rexazin Conde / Pixabay
Even in the age of artificial intelligence, reliable checking of texts for plagiarism is essential.
To this end, the University of Bremen provides the PlagAware tool to all staff members. No installation is required to use it; PlagAware can be accessed via any standard web browser. This article answers the most important questions regarding its use.
Which documents can be checked?
All academic texts produced at the University of Bremen can be checked using the university’s license. This includes not only all student work but also your own texts (dissertations, upcoming publications, etc.). However, it is important to note that all personal data that could identify the author must be removed before the check. This generally applies to student work. For your own texts, this is, of course, at your discretion.
Student texts may be checked for plagiarism as part of the grading process without explicit consent. However, storing texts in your library on PlagAware is only permitted with the author’s explicit consent. This consent can be requested via the Declaration of Authorship form. Consent to storage may be revoked at any time.
In addition to student papers, it is always a good idea to have your own planned publications checked. This is because not all instances of plagiarism are intentional; often, as the length of the text to be published increases, so does the likelihood of errors in distinguishing between citations and original work.
Which sources are used?
In addition to the institution’s own data base mentioned above (which includes all libraries created by members of the University of Bremen in PlagAware), PlagAware takes into account all documents freely available on the internet during the check. A comparison with publications behind a paywall is not possible.
What happens to the data?
The checked texts are stored in the data base on PlagAware’s servers and are available there as reference documents for future checks. If you do not have permission to store the data (see info box), you must delete it from your library or configure your PlagAware user interface so that data is not automatically saved after the check. In principle, it makes sense to obtain storage authorization and to collect the texts in your own library accordingly. This way, other teaching staff members at the University of Bremen can also benefit from your data.
In the event of suspected plagiarism during a comparison with a text in your data base, the instructor conducting the check will be notified. However, that person cannot access the data and has no insight into your data base. They may, however, contact you and request access to the relevant text.
PlagAware also includes a built-in AI detector that identifies text generated by generative AI based on typical AI phrasing. However, this feature does not provide proof that artificial intelligence was actually used.
Where is the data stored?
PlagAware is a German company based in Neu-Ulm. Your data is managed and stored there in compliance with the GDPR.
How do I get access to the license of the University of Bremen?
You can request the license informally via email. Please note that only university staff members are permitted to use the license. A personalized official University of Bremen email address must be used.
Please note: To use the license of the University, you first need the license key.
