Professors have a new weapon in the war against plagiarism.

Through the use of a searchable online library, Questia, professors can now search for material that they suspect as being plagiarized.

But students who want to avoid getting caught when they insert other people's ideas into their own work can also use the tool.

Troy Williams, founder and CEO of Questia, said the service allows users to search for certain phrases to determine if they have been plagiarized.

"That enables a professor to find where something is coming from quickly," he said.

The new service allows professors to search the 70,000 full-text works provided by Questia for free, though a monthly subscription fee is required to access the full text of the suspected original source and to use the entire range of services.

"It's kind of a good news, bad news situation," said Dennis Hetzel, who teaches several communication courses. Ironically, the technology makes it easier to plagiarize, as well as to detect plagiarism, he said.

Students can use the site to search their papers for borrowed words, then use the search results to cite those passages.

Williams said students could use Questia to plagiarize, but its intent is to facilitate students' research and to allow accurate citation of works.

"All of technology has the ability to be used for good or ill," Williams said. "I think Questia is best used in conjunction with a traditional library."

Many professors think plagiarism is a difficult issue to deal with.

"It's a hard thing to go after," said Ralph Colby, professor of materials science.

Colby said an online search program could help professors.

"It sounds like it could be useful," he said.

Vinay Annigeri (sophomore-international business and economics) said he believes plagiarism is a problem at Penn State, especially in large classes.

"When you have so many students, it's easier to plagiarize," he said.

Annigeri said he thought a new service such as Questia would be beneficial for professors. Some professors think the issue of plagiarism should not be addressed solely through policing and punishment.

"There is very little education as to what plagiarism is," said George Kesidis, an associate professor of electrical engineering, computer science and engineering.

Kesidis said it's important that students know what is considered plagiarism and how to avoid it. It is difficult to determine where to draw the line when it comes to plagiarism, he added.

"If the policing is there without the education, what's the purpose," he said.

For more information about the services provided by Questia visit www.questia.com.