SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialists frequently use article spinners to generate more content. In order to improve website rank, current content is put though a spinner to create a vaguely similar text. It has little informational value; however, leads to potentially higher SEO results, as search algorithms find it difficult to track the match between two texts. Goal of spinners is to paraphrase a text, so that it seems to be original (Zhang et al, 2014). Well, software like this cannot stay isolated for a long time, it started to be used in education. How is this an issue for teachers and students? Firstly, and the most importantly, paraphrasing does not mean that a text can be regarded as an original piece of work. It still requires citation. Secondly, students tend to use article spinners to submit papers for similar assignments. Handing in identical papers, even if written by the student himself/herself, is considered to be a self plagiarism. It is expected of a student to write each paper from scratch. Thirdly, majority of article spinners generate poorly written content. Distinctive features of spun articles – they are hard to read, sound incomprehensible and lack flow. While paraphrasing is an essential part of the learning process, as it shows how well student can conduct a research and understand a subject, it is crucial to put an effort into an analysis of a text and spend time writing what you have learned in your own words. Using Internet based paraphrasing tools: Original work, patchwriting or facilitated plagiarism?, wrote: “The fact remains that taking another author’s work, processing it through an online paraphrasing tool then submitting that work as ‘original’ is not original work where it involves the use of source texts and materials without acknowledgement”. Their research reviews how plagiarism detectors can spot similarities after article spinners (Rogerson&McCarthy, 2017). Here is a review by Kevin Muldoon (2018) including information on of how well PlagiarismCheck.org handles spinners. Reference: Rogerson, A.M. & McCarthy, G. Int J Educ Integr (2017) 13: 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-016-0013-y Zhang, Qing & Y. Wang, David & M. Voelker, Geoffrey. (2014). DSpin: Detecting Automatically Spun Content on the Web. 10.14722/ndss.2014.23004.
Article spinners in education
16 July 2018
Discover how PlagiarismCheck.org can empower your workflow!
Related articles
25 April 2024
How Do Plagiarism Checkers Work?
No magic pills exist in the grown-up world with endless bills to pay, errands to... Read more
23 April 2024
Top Conferences for Educators in 2024
Teachers support their students daily, but who will support the teachers? Their ... Read more
16 April 2024
Types of Students You’ll See in Every Class
While fostering each student's individuality, any seasoned educator will admit t... Read more
9 April 2024
Types of Teachers Everyone Knows
As plagiarism check tools representers, we are in the first line to advocate for... Read more
3 April 2024
Academic Cheating Statistics Teachers Need to Know
It is human nature: as long as rules and regulations exist, there will always be... Read more
22 March 2024
7 Neologisms Invented by Famous Writers
Everything that is well-known today at some point in history was novel and groun... Read more