Guides
May 24, 2024

How to Check for Plagiarism in C, C++, and C# source code

In 30 seconds...

Ensuring academic integrity in coding assignments is crucial but challenging. CodeGrade streamlines this by integrating with learning management systems like Canvas and Blackboard, enabling direct and efficient plagiarism checks with a side-by-side comparison view.

CodeGrade also detects sophisticated plagiarism attempts, offers autograding, instant feedback, efficient manual grading tools, and peer feedback, enhancing the grading process and student learning.

Almost all computer science degrees include teaching a language from the C-family, known for their industry standards and versatility. 

The C programming language is typically taught in low-level programming or data structure courses, while C++ is favored for parallel programming, performance-intensive tasks, and gaming. 

C# (C-sharp) is often introduced in entry-level courses or game development with Unity.

With the rise in programming assignments using C, C++, C#, or other C-family languages, maintaining academic integrity in code submissions has become crucial. 

Detecting plagiarism is essential not only to prevent copied code but also to encourage students to practice and improve their programming skills by submitting original work.

However, teachers often struggle to check for plagiarism due to the time-consuming nature of manual verification and the cumbersome process of using separate plagiarism detection tools. 

Manually copying and pasting code into another tool and interpreting the results adds to the already significant workload of educators. 

As a result, despite recognizing the importance of plagiarism detection, teachers often lack the time to perform it effectively.

With CodeGrade, teachers can easily check for plagiarism in C, C++, and C# source code with just one click.

CodeGrade integrates seamlessly into your learning management system (LMS) such as Canvas, Brightspace, Moodle, Blackboard, and Open edX, enabling direct plagiarism checks on all submitted source code.

Start using CodeGrade for your C, C++, or C# course today!

Results are accessible through your LMS with an intuitive side-by-side comparison view.

CodeGrade’s plagiarism detection supports all C-family languages and many others, including Java, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, PHP, R, Scala, and JavaScript. 

Unlike other tools, CodeGrade is designed specifically for source code, analyzing code structure after parsing and compiling, rather than just checking for literal text similarities. 

It also allows you to upload template code to exclude or include third-party code in your checks, effectively detecting plagiarism even when students attempt common tricks such as:

  • Changing variable or function names
  • Adding or removing documentation
  • Altering the order of lines
  • Adding dummy code

Plagiarism detection is just one feature of CodeGrade. It also offers autograding (compatible with tools like Check or xUnit for unit testing), instant feedback to students, efficient manual grading tools, intuitive rubrics, powerful analysis tools, and peer feedback for code.

Want to automatically grade your C# assignments? Click here to learn more about autograding C# code using unit tests!

CodeGrade is an essential tool for maintaining academic integrity in computer science education, providing comprehensive features to support educators and improve student outcomes.

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