Avoiding Plagiarism: Perception of Undergraduates on Referencing When Learning English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at a Private University in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examines undergraduates’ perception on referencing which is taught to them in the course English for Academic Purposes (EAP). The objective of the research is to identify the extent to which awareness of academic referencing is perceived as significant by undergraduates at a private university where they follow EAP as a core module in their first year. The study examines the extent to which these undergraduates are adhering to their institutional academic integrity policy. An online questionnaire was administered among 400 undergraduates, inquiring about their experience in avoiding plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, and how much they are aware on overcoming this type of academic deceit. Additionally, attention was focused on examining how plagiarism is avoided with the advancement of technology where online based plagiarism is found to be common among undergraduates. According to the findings of the study, many undergraduates refer online resources when submitting their work and they mention that they follow proper referencing strategies when submitting their work; additionally, they are aware of the plagiarism policy maintained by their institution as well as by their lecturers and the penalties that follow. However, one of the key findings which is significant and should be noted is that, many undergraduates mention that they do not get adequate training or practice on referencing other than the exposure they get during their first year at the university.