Back translation: an emerging sophisticated cyber strategy to subvert advances in ‘digital age’ plagiarism detection and prevention

What is it about?

This paper looks at a new technique used by students to cheat by converting borrowed or stolen text into a foreign language and converting it back to the intended language. The conversion process works to disguise and distort the text enough so that examiners consider the work as that of the student. The paper offers strategies to avoid or deter this practice.

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Why is it important?

The paper is important for two reasons. First, students are getting away with plagiarism, and this creates inequities for honest and hard working students. Second, the technique, when employed by students lulls an unsuspecting examiner into spending time assisting the student with their grammatical errors, wich are more likely a result of cheating, than poor practice.