NCSA 2021 Presidential Address: Discovery, Disenchantment, and Recovery: Finding Sociology that Matters in Amish Country

ABSTRACT

Popular text-matching software generates a percentage of similarity – called a “similarity score” or “Similarity Index” – that quantifies the matching text between a particular manuscript and content in the software’s archives, on the Internet and in electronic databases. Many evaluators rely on these simple figures as a proxy for plagiarism and thus avoid the burdensome task of inspecting the longer Similarity Reports that show the matching in detail. Yet similarity scores, though alluringly straightforward, are never enough to judge the presence (or absence) of plagiarism. Ideally, evaluators should always examine the Similarity Reports. Given the persistent use of simplistic similarity score thresholds at some academic journals and educational institutions, however, and the time that can be saved by relying on the scores, a method is arguably needed that encourages examination of the Similarity Reports but still also allows evaluators to choose to rely on the similarity scores in some instances. This article proposes a four-band method to accomplish this. Used together, the bands oblige evaluators to acknowledge the risk they take in relying on the similarity scores yet still allow them to ultimately determine whether they wish to accept that risk. The bands – for most rigor, high rigor, moderate rigor and less rigor – should be tailored to an evaluator’s particular needs.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Stacey Nofziger for her guidance and continued support. I would also like to thank Dr. Katie Corcoran, Dr. Corey Colyer, Sara Guthrie, Annette Mackay, Bernie DiGregorio, Brittany Kowalski, and Carina Perone for making the WVU Amish Research Team a reality.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Personal communication with Milo Miller, Publisher of The Budget newspaper.

² Personal communication with Dr. Melissa Thomas, director, The Center for Appalachia Research in Cancer Education.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rachel E. Stein

Rachel E. Stein received her PhD in sociology from the University of Akron. She is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on community building and health in Old Order Amish communities. Her current work explores how the Amish and Mennonite communities are experiencing the ongoing pandemic, how preventive health care decisions vary across Amish affiliations, how reproductive choices impact maternal health, and how visiting practices strengthen the Amish community and contribute to its growth. She served as the 94^th president of the NCSA.