Plagiarism in Higher Education: Navigating a Perfect Storm

Abstract

Student plagiarism is the reproduction of material from sources such as journal articles or books, without adequate acknowledgement of the source. It can be a deliberate, intentional act, and is considered a breach of academic integrity. The increasing ubiquity of internet use within higher education and shift to remote learning practices has heightened academic concerns over the prevalence of online plagiarism and ‘cyber-cheating’. Academic integrity now requires a system-wide involvement in understanding, defining, and addressing academic integrity. In this perspective article, we present a possible perfect storm scenario for growth in the incidence of breaches of academic integrity through plagiarism. We suggest this perfect storm culminates from: increasing internet use in higher education; the necessity for remote learning environments during and following the COVID-19 pandemic; and students feeling increasingly disconnected from their institution. Further, we suggest a vision of how the establishment of an ‘Academic Integrity Unit’ may be a means to navigate through such a storm.