Look for obvious discrepancies. According to Ehrlich, instructors may suspect plagiarism when a student's writing style seems uncharacteristic or when the introduction and conclusion differ from the body paragraphs. Misspellings and variant spellings may offer clues; for example, a student may use British, rather than American spelling of words: programme versus program.
Look for subtle discrepancies. According to Margaret Fain and Peg Bates of Coastal Carolina University, students may use sources unavailable at the school or dated sources, omit needed citations or refer to visuals that do not appear in the actual paper. In addition, a research paper may lack a required step in the writing process.
Check for plagiarism by typing a suspicious passage into a search engine, such as Google, according to Ehrlich. Using quotation marks around several words may prove beneficial. Of course, requiring students to submit their papers electronically accelerates this process, allowing you to copy and paste effortlessly.
Use plagiarism detection software, such as Turnitin or SafeAssign, that Ehrlich cites. Blackboard, a course delivery system, can include access to Safe Assign. In either system, an instructor can submit student papers, or students can submit their papers directly.
Print or save the "Verification Reports" that the software supplies or the passage that your Google search uncovers. Ehrlich recommends caution, rather than accusation, at this point.
Arrange a face-to-face or online conference with the student. A "see me" note can alert the student, according to Dr. Ehrlich. Here you can explain both the stylistic discrepancies in the writing, the missing elements of the writing process or the online findings. Note that cheating can take many forms, such as plagiarism or the use of electronic devices during testing. Low-tech and high-tech clues can lead to detection.