Harris also adds that prohibiting students from changing topics at the last minute is a proactive strategy for avoiding plagiarism. Lastly, requiring a postscript on the day the paper is due, or, as Harris calls it, a "metalearning essay," that asks students to describe what they learned from the assignment, is effective in not only getting students to reflect on their writing and researching process, but allows for more insight into whether or not they accomplished that progress truthfully:
What problems did [you] face and how did [you] overcome them?
What research strategy did [you] follow?
Where did [you] locate most of [your] sources?
What is the most important thing [you] learned from investigating this subject?
(Harris 57-58)
Additionally, a common postscript might include the following questions:
What was the most difficult part of writing this paper?
What do you feel the strongest aspect of this paper is?
If you had more time, on what aspect of the paper would you continue to work?
How did this paper change from its first draft?
