Copycats

A handful of companies, like Plagiarism.org, are offering Internet-based antiplagiarism technology that teachers can use for a fee. The most complex sites compare student term papers with millions of Web pages and the archives of dozens of online sites that offer term papers free....

If the service finds similarities, it notifies the teacher, who must then decide whether the similarities are coincidences, justified by proper footnotes, or outright dishonesty....

Some students criticize the technology, saying it undermines honor codes based on trust between students and faculty.