The problem of plagiarism in the process of establishing academic integrity culture at Georgian higher educational institutions

Abstract

The Georgian educational system was not familiar with the concept of plagiarism during the Soviet era. The purpose of the article is to study whether the mechanisms for plagiarism prevention in Georgian higher education institutions have been improved as a result of the application of new authorisation standards and international practices; it explores efforts made at the university level. The research has shown that universities have increased awareness of plagiarism, the Turnitin program was executed, syllabi were modified with the support of foreign partners and additional services supporting academic writing skills were introduced. The article discusses the pros and cons of the Turnitin program, as well as its challenges and limitations: it tackles severe cases of plagiarism but it is difficult to identify a more disguised form of plagiarism. The work reviews the new challenges and provides ways to address them in the form of recommendations.