Student Plagiarism Research Articles

Editors’ Introduction to Special Theme Issue: Meanings Emerging in Practice (Part 2)

Articles in Part 2This issue publishes the second set of refereed papers from the first wave proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pedagogies and Learning, held at the Springfield Campus of the University of Southern Queensland in Australia on 27 and 28 September 2007. This third conference in the series focused on emerging in as a lens for examining and evaluating multiple enactments of pedagogies and learning.Seven anonymously peer refereed articles have been selected for publication in this second issue. Each article engages with a different theme nominated by the conference organisers as a useful means of identifying whether and how pedagogies and learning can be maximised through meanings emerging in practice.The first article, by Bernadette Lynch, contributes to the theme of researching personal pedagogies by exploring her role in teaching in-text referencing to undergraduate Faculty of Business students at the University of Southern Queensland. Drawing on concepts synthesised from personal pedagogy, reflective practice and cognitive theory, Lynch advocates the careful and systematic use of humour as an antidote to cognitive depletion and as a way of both facilitating effective reflection and (re)kindling irreverence and joy in academics' work. The article provides a fresh perspective on the hardy perennials of student plagiarism and academic integrity.In the second article, Cassandra Star and Jacquelin McDonald engage with the theme of features of successful pedagogical practice by arguing that the transition to first year in a diverse, multi-campus, multimodal university provides significant difficulty and disorientation for school leavers, mature age and international students. The authors report on a case study from a first year Faculty of Business core course at the University of Southern Queensland to outline a successful pedagogy for supporting students through this transition. Key elements of this pedagogy include constructive alignment, formative and developmental assessment, proactive and extensive scaffolding for student learning and a central role for an active online community.Ting Wang and Leah Moore use the third article to consider how exploring the learning style preferences of Chinese postgraduate students in Australian transnational programs offered by the University of Canberra can be considered one manifestation of the theme of developing the globalised learning environment. Reporting an empirical study of pre- and post-questionnaire responses by two groups of students from different parts of China in two Australian offshore Masters programs, the authors highlight considerable diversity in those responses, contesting the assumption that Chinese learners are homogeneous, passive and teacher-dependent. Wang and Moore argue that these results should contribute to helping Australian academics working in transnational programs to understand their students' learning preferences and thereby to maximise their educational outcomes.The fourth article, by Susan Bolt, takes up the theme of meeting the pedagogical challenges in new contexts by investigating problems and possibilities in integrating research, action and learning in the workplace in order to generate productive organisational change. The questionnaire and interview data presented in the article were collected from staff members of a state branch in Western Australia of a large Australian charitable organisation. While the organisation had made significant strides in adapting to changing circumstances and new ideas about work and identity, the data indicated that many workers were not learning optimally and reflected the complexities confronting organisations seeking to promote such optimal learning. …

An exploration of the role of Canadian academic libraries in promoting academic integrity

The incidence of student plagiarism at Canadian universities and colleges is cause for concern. As a result, Canadian universities are increasingly using text-matching software such as Turnitin to address the problem of cut-and-paste plagiarism. An exploratory survey was conducted at Canadian research-intensive universities subscribing to Turnitin to examine the role of librarians in educating students and faculty about academic integrity. Results indicate that librarians at these institutions are actively involved in promoting academic integrity and deterring plagiarism. At most institutions surveyed, discussions of academic integrity and the ethical use of information are included in library workshops and library instructional materials. These results, while preliminary, are an important first step to encourage libraries to consider their role within universities for promoting academic integrity.
 
 This is a revised version of a paper presented at LILAC 2005: Librarians Information Literacy Annual Conference, Imperial College, London, April 4-6, 2005.

Plagiarism: Understanding and Management

An epidemic of plagiarism is sweeping the world. A study carried out in the US suggested that 80% of college students admit to cheating at least once (Ashworth et al 1997). Alternative evidence from an American education and software company, Plagiarism.org, reported that 36% of undergraduates plagiarise written material and that 90% of students believe that cheaters are never caught or disciplined (Plagiarism.org 2005). Closer to home, research carried out in the UK by Clare (1996) suggested that 50% of students copy work and invent data. More recently the Plagiarism Advisory Service, based at Northumbria University, reported that 25% of students plagiarise, while lecturers only detect plagiarism 3% of the time (Plagiarism Advisory Service 2006).

In their own words: a qualitative study of the reasons Australian university students plagiarize

The ways in which universities and individual academics attempt to deter and respond to student plagiarism may be based on untested assumptions about particular or primary reasons for this behaviour. Using a series of group interviews, this qualitative study gathered the views of 56 Australian university students on the possible reasons for plagiarism within their institution. The results indicate a wide and disparate range of possible contributing reasons for plagiarism, including: institutional admission criteria; student understanding of plagiarism; poor academic skills; a range of teaching and learning factors; personality factors; and external pressures. These findings are compared with other findings about reasons for student plagiarism in Australasia. The implications of these findings are considered for universities and individual academics seeking to better engage with their students to minimize or marginalize plagiarism.

Applying Ethical Theories: Interpreting and Responding to Student Plagiarism

Given the tremendous proliferation of student plagiarism involving the Internet, the purpose of this study is to determine which theory of ethical reasoning students invoke when defending their transgressions: deontology, utilitarianism, rational self-interest, Machiavellianism, cultural relativism, or situational ethics. Understanding which theory of ethical reasoning students employ is critical, as preemptive steps can be taken by faculty to counteract this reasoning and prevent plagiarism.

Institutionalizing Academic Integrity: Administrator Perceptions and Institutional Actions

Issues surrounding student cheating and plagiarism are ubiquitous in higher education. Research has consistently found gaps between policies and practices on our campuses, a struggle for those student affairs professionals charged with institutionalizing the value of academic integrity. While the motivations and roles of students have been explored in some depth, there has been less research on the roles of faculty and administrators in managing academic integrity issues institutionally. Using a survey developed from institutional theory and academic integrity research, the authors collected academic affairs administrators’ perceptions of academic integrity institutionalization. The results suggest the utility of a sharper focus on cultivating faculty as key change agents and reduced attention to students. The implications for student affairs and academic administrators are several including increased strategic attention to reducing obstacles to successful institutionalization of academic integrity while engaging faculty more thoroughly in the process.

Preventing And Detecting Plagiarism In The Written Work Of College Students

Plagiarism abounds on American college campuses. This paper first examines reasons that college students cheat, using both the perspective of student respondents and the observations of the faculty authors. Next, the paper examines the two strategies which can be taken to combat student plagiarism: prevention and detection. Specific strategies are offered for each approach.

Plagiarism: Do Students Know What It Is?

The ability of students to plagiarise coursework assessments has been a topic of much debate in recent years. The consequences of plagiarism for students may be devastating, since their failure to learn and use appropriate study skills will affect both their university experience and their subsequent career. This project set out to investigate students’ perceptions of what constitutes plagiarism. A scenario-based questionnaire was given to undergraduate bioscience students from Level 0, that is, Foundation level, to Level 3. Analysis of the completed questionnaires showed student uncertainty about several aspects of plagiarism, including downloading of material from the Internet. Students were unclear about the distinctions between collusion, plagiarism and permissible group work. Thus, despite the media attention given to plagiarism, students are not always aware of the boundaries between plagiarism and acceptable practice. Since the penalties for plagiarising may be severe, it is essential that guidelines are provided early in the programme. A case-study approach is more likely to engage the students than issuing them with a set of penalties should they be caught.As a result of these findings guidelines have been produced, aimed at addressing misconceptions. Future work is planned to adapt the exercise to an interactive format within a managed learning environment.

Student plagiarism and faculty responsibility in undergraduate engineering labs

In undergraduate engineering labs, lab reports are routinely copied. By ignoring this form of plagiarism, teaching assistants and lab technicians neglect their role responsibility. By designing courses that facilitate it, however inadvertently, professors neglect their causal responsibility. Using the case of one university, we show via interviews and observation that such routine copying and faculty negligence are rampant. We suggest the latter be explicitly recognized as a cause of student dishonesty, and argue that it must be rectified before faculty earn the right to reform students. We also suggest that these findings are representative of, and therefore generalizable to, many universities’ undergraduate engineering and science labs.

Teaching intellectual property rights as part of the information literacy syllabus

PurposeTo argue that in the knowledge economy, those who are expert in understanding intellectual property issues, such as librarians and information professionals, have a special responsibility for creating policy, encouraging understanding and resolving legal disputes and conflicts unique to this aspect of the information society. One way of achieving this is through the educational impact of systematic information literacy programmes which include intellectual property issues as part of the syllabus.Design/methodology/approachAn overview of current practice and current opinion.FindingsThat the current culture, especially in higher education towards intellectual property rights, remains both confused and confusing, above all for the “information illiterate” starting out on degree‐level programmes. Attitudes and policies need to be clarified so that a coherent approach to a range of different but related intellectual property (IP) matters such as plagiarism, self‐archiving on research repositories and respect for commercially owned copyright material is uniformly developed. Debate must be differentiated from policy which in turn must be implemented via the information literacy (IL) syllabus.Research limitations/ImplicationsThis is a statement of opinion that could be tested by practical case study investigation.Practical implicationsSuggests that information literacy programmes be promoted as a way of enhancing students' understanding of intellectual property issues.Originality/valueThis paper brings together different IP issues which are not normally considered together, such as institutional research repositories, student plagiarism and commercial IP entitlements. It points out ways of unifying these in a single coherent philosophy of information society rights and ownership. This philosophy should form one of the mainstays of the information literacy syllabus.

Using an Ethical Decision-Making Model to Determine Consequences for Student Plagiarism

The incidence of plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, in the professional nursing arena has increased in recent years, as has the occurrence of plagiarism among nursing students. Strategies for cheating have become very sophisticated with the use of aids such as personal digital assistants, camera phones, and instant messaging. Cheating on written papers has also increased. The Internet provides students with ready-made research and academic papers, and access to Web sites on a plethora of topics. In this article, I describe my experience with plagiarism of ethics papers during students' final semester before graduation. How I discovered the plagiarized work and used the A-B-C-D-E ethical decision-making model in determining the student consequences for the event are presented.

Exploring staff perceptions of student plagiarism

This paper presents analysis of qualitative data from a research project looking at staff perceptions of plagiarism at a post‐1992 university. Twenty‐six members of staff from departments and academic schools from across the university took part in open and semi‐structured interviews. Analysis shows that variable definitions of plagiarism exist; both regarding student activities that constitute plagiarism and the way in which plagiarism is perceived to be related to cheating. The factors underlying these personal definitions are unclear, but the analysis suggests that values perceived to underpin higher education may play an important role. This paper provides new empirical data on staff perceptions of student plagiarism, which complement previous research on student perceptions. The potential implications of different perceptions of plagiarism, and a mismatch between staff and student understandings is highlighted as an area for further consideration.

Student plagiarism and professional practice

With the ever-increasing availability and accessibility of the Internet, students are able to access a multitude of resources in support of their studies. However, this has also led to an increase in their ability to cheat through plagiarising text and claiming it as their own. Increased pressures of balancing work and study have contributed to this rise. Not only confined to the student population, some academics are also guilty of engaging in this practice providing a less than favourable role model for their students. Of increasing concern is the links of this practice to professionalism or indeed in this case unprofessionalism. Both pre- and post-registration nursing students who plagiarise risk bringing the reputation of the profession into disrepute. There are a number of methods that may be used to detect plagiarism but often the penalties are menial and inconsistently applied. Overall it is essential that academic institutions foster a culture of honesty and integrity amongst its academic community. A culture that clearly emphasises that plagiarism in any form is unacceptable.

Desktop Tools for Offline Plagiarism Detection in Computer Programs

Plagiarism in universities has always been a difficult problem to overcome. Various tools have been developed over the past few years to help teachers detect plagiarism in students' work. By being able to categorize the multitude of plagiarism detection tools, it is possible to estimate their capabilities, advantages and disadvantages. In this article I consider modern plagiarism software solutions, paying attention mostly to desktop systems intended for plagiarism detection in program code. I also estimate the speed and reliability of different plagiarism detection systems that are currently available.

Plagiarism—a complex issue requiring a holistic institutional approach

Recent years have seen a growing awareness of the incidence of plagiarism, though the response has largely been to focus on deterrence through detection and punishment. However, student plagiarism is a much more complex issue than suggested by a one‐solution response and this paper argues for a more holistic institutional approach that recognises the need for a shared responsibility between the student, staff and institution, supported by external quality agencies. Case studies from three institutions are used to illustrate possible triggers for adopting a holistic approach. The paper presents a checklist for identifying the absence of a holistic approach to dealing with student plagiarism and concludes that a key aspect is to adopt assessment‐led solutions which focus on using low stakes, formative (as distinct from high stakes, summative) assessment.

Policy, Preparation, and Prevention: Proactive minimization of student plagiarism

Countless cases of plagiarism are detected across the Australian higher education sector each year. Generally speaking, policy and other responses to the issue focus on punitive, rather than on educative, measures. Recently, a subtle shift is discernable. As well as ensuring appropriate consequences for plagiarists, several universities are beginning to formalize the inclusion of learning and teaching strategies in anti‐plagiarism‐related policy and practice, as well as paying closer attention to the communication of unambiguous definitions of plagiarism. This article outlines one example of the emerging educative approach and details the ways in which this approach has been implemented across an entire university. The necessity of evidence‐based evaluation of approaches to reducing plagiarism in higher education is discussed.

Desktop tools for offline plagiarism detection in computer programs

Plagiarism in universities has always been a difficult problem to overcome. Various tools have been developed over the past few years to help teachers detect plagiarism in students' work. By being ...

Plagiarism and overseas students: stereotypes again?

This article is a response to Sowden's (2005ab) and Liu's (2005) articles on overseas students and plagiarism, published in ELT Journal 59/3. I appreciate Sowden's efforts in exploring plagiarism in relation to culture, and his arguing against stereotypical views of overseas students studying in English-speaking countries. Although I agree with Sowden that culture plays a significant role in students' learning styles, and perhaps in the way plagiarism is interpreted cross-culturally, I would like to argue that culture is not the only influencing factor and should not be seen as solely responsible for plagiarism in students' academic work. To support my points, I will first provide examples on how plagiarism is viewed in Vietnam. Then, I will argue that there appear to be several reasons why Western academics may rush to accuse overseas students of plagiarism. While Sowden seems to suggest that...

Implementation and performance evaluation of parameter improvement mechanisms for intelligent e-learning systems

In recent years, designing useful learning diagnosis systems has become a hot research topic in the literature. In order to help teachers easily analyze students’ profiles in intelligent tutoring system, it is essential that students’ portfolios can be transformed into some useful information to reflect the extent of students’ participation in the curriculum activity. It is observed that students’ portfolios seldom reflect students’ actual studying behaviors in the learning diagnosis systems given in the literature; we thus propose three kinds of learning parameter improvement mechanisms in this research to establish effective parameters that are frequently used in the learning platforms. The proposed learning parameter improvement mechanisms can calculate the students’ effective online learning time, extract the portion of a message in discussion section which is strongly related to the learning topics, and detect plagiarism in students’ homework, respectively. The derived numeric parameters are then fed into a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to predict each learner’s performance in order to verify whether they mirror the student’s studying behaviors. The experimental results show that the prediction rate for the SVM classifier can be increased up to 35.7% in average after the inputs to the classifier are “purified” by the learning parameter improvement mechanisms. This splendid achievement reveals that the proposed algorithms indeed produce the effective learning parameters for commonly used e-learning platforms in the literature.

Towards consistent penalty decisions for breaches of academic regulations in one UK university

This paper investigates the extent to which policies and procedures designed to achieve fair, consistent treatment of student plagiarism are effective in one UK university. The
 case study uses a model more frequently linked to reliability in assessment decisions to inspect penalty decisions and consider ways of achieving greater consistency. The study
 notes activities that are important in achieving greater consistency such as sharing assumptions and information between decision makers, introducing specialist officers, and
 restricting penalty choice. The authors describe a tariff system for choosing appropriate penalties and evaluate its potential for future monitoring of decisions. Areas for continued attention are identified in the case study, because fully consistent treatment cannot yet be demonstrated.