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International Students and Plagiarism: survey findings

Analysis produced for Laura Spilsbury by Heather Watkins, 13 Feb 2014

Introduction

In total, 1749 students completed this online questionnaire into the experiences of international

students with issues around plagiarism. Of these, 31 confirmed that they had been subject to an

accusation of plagiarism, although several of these had later been found innocent or excused. This

analysis draws out some of the main findings from the survey, and each time explores the

experiences of those 31 as a sub-set of the main survey. The exceptions are Qs 15-20, which relate

solely to the experiences of these 31 students. The main findings and recommendations are then

summarised on pp19-22.

Section A: Demographic information

Q1 Stage of study

Out of 1741 respondents:

43.3% were undergraduate students across all stages.

28.2% were postgraduate taught students.

25.2% were postgraduate research students.

56 students gave other answers, mostly stating that they had completed their studies, were doing a

Foundation programme, were distance and web-based learners, were exchange students, or were

on the CELE course.

This suggests that the survey has captured a good range of experiences from students at different

points in their study, and studying via different modes.

Of the 31 who had been accused of plagiarism:

15 (48.4%) were UG intermediate year

4 (12.9%) were UG final year

3 (9.7%) were UG first year

7 (22.6%) were PG taught

2 (6.5%) were PG Research

This is perhaps counter-intuitive, suggesting that it is important not to make assumptions that more

advanced students will not experience difficulties in this area.

Q2 Campus

Out of 1749 respondents:

57.7% (1009) were based at University Park

22.7% (397) at Jubilee

7.7% (135) at Sutton Bonington

6.1% (106) at QMC

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130 students gave other responses, most of whom (70) were online and distance learning students,

a categorisation which can sometimes be forgotten but which may be a key element in

communicating with international students. However, the vast majority were based at a UK campus.

Of the 31 who had been accused of plagiarism:

22 (71%) were based at UP

5 (16.1%) at Jubilee

3 (9.7%) at Sutton Bonington

1 (3.2%) at Derby

1(3.2%) said they had no campus, so were presumably distance/online.

Q3 Primary department

Answers to this question were spread across every possible department, with the largest percentage

being from Nottingham University Business School (10.2%), followed by Education at 6.8% and

Biosciences at 6.7%.

Of the 31 students accused of plagiarism:

4 were from Biosciences

4 from Electrical and Electronic Engineering

4 from Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering

3 from Nottingham University Business School

3 from Psychology

2 from Architecture & Built Environment

2 from Contemporary Chinese Studies

2 from Film & TV Studies

2 from Pharmacy

1 from Civil Engineering

1 from Economics

1 from Education

1 from English

1 from Health Sciences

These numbers are too small to draw any hard conclusions, however it may suggest that there is a

particular need to clarify what constitutes plagiarism for international students in the sciences and

engineering disciplines.

Q4 International status

Of 1715 respondents:

72.5% were non-EU international students

25.9% were EU international students.

Of the 31 students accused of plagiarism:

27 (87.1%) were non-EU internationals

4 (12.9%) were EU internationals

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This does suggest that concerns about plagiarising are most acute among non-EU international

students, although not exclusively so.

Q5 EU origins

Of 443 EU students answering this question, answers were diverse, but the top three home

countries were:

12.4% from Germany

10.4% from France

9.7% from Italy

Of the 4 EU internationals who had been accused of plagiarism:

1 was from France

1 was from Cyprus

1 was from Czech Republic

1 did not disclose

Q6 Non-EU origins

Of 1239 students answering this question, again, answers were diverse, but the top three home

countries listed were:

22.8% of students were from China

10.7% were from Malaysia

5.5% were from India

Of the 27 non-EU internationals who had been accused of plagiarism:

9 (33%) were from China

5 (18.5%) were from Malaysia

3 (11.1%) were from Hong Kong

3 (11.1%) were from Nigeria

1 (3.7%) was from India

1 (3.7%) was from Pakistan

1 (3.7%) was from Thailand

1 (3.7%) was from UAE

1 (3.7%) was from Mauritius

2 did not disclose

These results are unsurprising, considering UoN’s presence in both China and Malaysia, however, the

presence of Nigerian students in the results is interesting. The figures do perhaps highlight the

difficulties faced by some international students (including some EU students) in making the

transition from a culture where intellectual attribution is treated quite differently to the way it is

treated in particularly UK and US academic institutions.

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Q7 First language

1676 students answered this free text question. Again, the results were extremely diverse, but 382

students gave English as their first language, suggesting clearly that this is not only a concern for

those for whom English is a second language, a finding which is backed up by the analysis of those

accused of plagiarism, below. The other bigger groups were Arabic speakers (121), Cantonese (33),

Chinese (267), Mandarin (62), Spanish (84), and German (63).

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism, their first language was as follows:

8 Chinese

7 English

2 Cantonese

2 Mandarin

2 Igbo

1 Czech

1 French

1 Farsi

1 Greek

1 Hindi

1 Malay

1 Serbian

1 Swedish

1 Thai

1 Urdu

Again, these figures are small, but they reinforce the idea that although Chinese students appear to

be a group which is at risk of experiencing problems with plagiarism, no assumptions can be made

that other groups, including European language and English speakers, are immune to these

problems.

Section B: Knowledge of plagiarism

Q8 Knowledge of referencing systems

Of 1624 people answering this question:

57% had heard of Harvard

15.6% had heard of MLA

11.6% of the Chicago Manual of Style

27% (438 respondents) had not heard of any referencing system

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism:

12 (38.7%) had heard of Harvard

2 had heard of MLA

2 had heard of the Number system

2 had heard of MHRA

1 had heard of Vancouver

1 had heard of American Psychological System

1 had heard of CSE

14 (45.2%) had not heard of any referencing system at all

These figures, both from the whole survey and the sub-set, suggest that there is lack of information

reaching some international students on precisely which referencing system they are supposed to

be using, and what this entails.

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Q9 Information received

Of 1624 people answering this question:

83% had received some form of information on arrival on what plagiarism is

70.6% had received information on how to reference

44.2% had been told how to use extracts and quotations as evidence

This suggests that certainly most, although not all, international students are receiving information

about plagiarism and how to reference (if not the specific system to use – see Q8).

139 students gave other responses and comments, out of which some themes emerge:

29 students said they had received no information at all.

Several students said that had received information, but it was too vague to be useful, for example:

During the induction week, they talked about the penalties for plagiarism. However, no one

really told us how to make it RIGHT. (11)

Very vague definition of what plagiarism is. But little practical explanation on how to

reference properly. I picked up most in my second year once I started to do course works more

often. (140)

We received some information but they weren't detailed enough, we weren't told about all

the aspects it was rather just a briefing about what plagiarism is in general and how to

reference in general (86)

Where students were given detailed, practical examples of what plagiarism is and is not, they

praised this, for example:

We were given very specific examples of plagiarism which were honestly surprising and useful

for me. (2)

9 students mentioned having been told how to use Turnitin to check their work before submission.

4 students mentioned Endnote training having been very helpful, but the timing was mentioned as

a crucial factor, eg:

I arrived in middle of year and unfortunately suffered a lot till 6 months as endnote training

course was not available till then. (116)

We were only given a session on how to reference and use EndNote in 3rd year, I wish it had

been earlier! (118)

3 students commented that the information they received tended to be of a “threatening” nature,

stressing the number of people caught and the very high penalties.

2 students specifically mentioned having missed this information because they were late arrivals,

so again, timing of information just before assignments could well be a factor.

2 students stressed that they had received information from CELE, Centre for English Language

Education, rather than their own department.

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1 student commented that as a distance learner, they were required to undertake an online

tutorial and then submit a formative assessment for initial feedback, which appears to represent

good practice.

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism, the percentages receiving information were

very similar:

25 (80.6%) had received information about what plagiarism is

22 (71%) had received information on how to reference

13 (41.9%) had received information on how to use extracts and quotations as evidence

7 (22.6%) had been made aware of workshops on referencing

1 said they had received nothing

1 said they received “Student handbook at the beginning of the course which I could no longer find after the first term”

1 said “we received some information but they weren't detailed enough, we weren't told about all the aspects it was rather just a briefing about what plagiarism is in general and how to reference in general” 1 said “I arrived late so didn't get a chance to know what the conditions were.”

1 said they received information about “How to avoid it and penalties”

Again, these comments suggest that while most students (not all) receive information on plagiarism

and referencing, some of this information is not detailed and concrete enough (eg, giving

examples), and some is being missed by late starters, which suggests reminders would be useful at

the point of assessment.

Q10 Means of receiving information

Of 1624 respondents:

50.9% received this information in the module handbook

41.8% in class from a lecturer

38.2% as part of departmental induction

19.2% received it as part of the welcome programme for international students

159 students added other comments, including:

29 students received this information via the CELE course.

1 student commented again on the threatening nature of some of the communication: ‘The lecture

wasn't very helpful as it appeared to scare off the students rather than helping them avoid

plagiarism.’ (100)

1 student again commented on the disadvantage experienced by late starters: ‘I would say I suffered

and couldn't find proper guidelines for that. They should be made clear or at least available in some

lecture form or ppt at a place where latecomers or those who missed welcome week can also

benefit … I am so badly aware of plagiarism.’ (131)

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism:

20 (64.5%) had this information in a section of the module handbook

18 (58.1%) had received information in class from a lecturer

12 (38.7%) internet guides on referencing or plagiarism

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9 (29%) had received a printed guide on plagiarism

7 (22.6%) had received information during induction

3 (9.7%) had received a printed guide on referencing

2 (6.5%) received information during the welcome programme for international students

1 said they received information in a coursework guide

These results appear to suggest that most international students are receiving information on

plagiarism and referencing in one form or another, however, there are issues with consistency in

how this information is delivered. There are examples of good practice (the CELE courses), but

elsewhere there are issues with information being delivered in a negative rather than supportive

way, and being timed too early so it is missed by late starters.

Q11 Understanding of plagiarism

Of 1624 respondents:

96.7% said they understood what it was.

Only 3.3% said they did not understand it.

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism:

29 (93.5%) said they understood what it was

2 (6.5%) said they did not

These results clearly show that a substantial majority of students feel they understand what

plagiarism is, so if they are experiencing difficulties with it, this is not usually because they lack

understanding of the concept. These findings are reinforced by Q12, below.

Q12 What is plagiarism?

1516 students gave their own free text responses to this question. On the whole, they reinforce the

picture above, and possibly counter to some expectations, that most international students actually

have a very good understanding of the concept of plagiarism itself.

The vast majority of answers identified, many of them very articulately, that plagiarism consisted of

one or more of the following factors, the most common being listed first:

Passing of someone’s work as your own – words or ideas

Copying without acknowledgement

Not referencing correctly

Breaching copyright/intellectual property theft

May be intentional or unintentional

Something illegal or criminal

Cheating

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism, 29 replied, and their responses largely

reflect those of the larger set, as follows:

16 said presenting someone’s work as your own

5 said it was not referencing other people’s work fully

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5 stated that it was copying someone else’s work directly

1 stated that ‘I only understood what plagiarism was after I was penalized for it. Simply

defined by the school manual as the representation of someone's work as one's own. Only to

later find it is much much more than that.’

Q13 The consequences of plagiarism

Of 1565 responses:

82.3% said they understood the consequences

17.7% said they did not understand the consequences

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism:

27 (87.1%) said they understood the consequences

4 (12.9%) said they did not understand

These figures suggest that students on the whole are slightly less confident that they understand

the consequences of plagiarism than they are plagiarism itself. These results are borne out by the

very varied responses to Q14 below.

Q14 What are the consequences of plagiarism?

1263 students gave free text responses to this question. These were extremely varied, from a basic

understanding that it would incur an academic penalty of some severity, to a much more nuanced

understanding that it entailed a loss of trust and academic reputation. The different responses are

summarised here:

Warning, followed by expulsion

Failure in assignment/module/course

Suspension

Zero mark

Penalty on mark

Having an academic offence on your record

Loss of trust

Legal prosecution

Loss of reputation for honesty

Loss of academic career

Prohibition from publishing in certain journals

Investigation by a panel

Resubmission of work

Only a relatively small number of students (less than 15) said that they were not sure of the

consequences.

Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism, 27 replied to this question:

14 students thought it would lead to a zero mark for either the coursework or the module.

10 thought it would lead to a warning followed by expulsion

9 thought it would lead to marks being deducted

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3 thought it would lead to you failing the course

3 mentioned a loss of integrity or trust

1 thought it would lead to suspension

1 mentioned the use of a disciplinary committee

These results suggest that although most students have some idea of what the consequences might

be, these are very variable, and sometimes almost too severe. It therefore indicates that it might be

beneficial for any information on plagiarism to contain a clear statement of the possible

consequences (from the Quality Manual), which is explanatory rather than threatening, and which

includes a more nuanced consideration of academic reputation. However, these do need to be

consistently enforced. One student commented that they thought the consequences would be:

Not much at all as I reported one of my own students for plagiarism and they were still allowed

to continue their course without any serious consequences. (110)

Section C: Experiences of plagiarism

Q15 Have you ever been accused of plagiarism at UoN?

Of 1529 respondents:

1498 (98%) had never been accused of plagiarism.

31 (2%) had been accused.

These results immediately appear to suggest that in fact the number of international students who

experience an accusation of plagiarism is not particularly substantial. However, their experiences

are still valuable for highlighting where the experiences of international students can be improved,

in preventing suspected cases of plagiarism arising, in dealing with suspicions when they do arise,

and in enhancing the students’ academic experience generally.

Q16 Why were you accused?

Of the 31 students accused of plagiarism, 30 answered, as follows:

7 (22.6%) did not use quotation marks

7 (22.6%) used too much of someone else’s material

6 (19.4%) did not use full referencing

5 (16.1%) copied and pasted text from internet sources

3 (9.7%) did not really understand why they had been accused of plagiarism

1 (3.2%) repeated a lecture word for word

14 gave other reasons, as follows:

2 had allowed a friend to copy coursework

3 said someone had copied their work, either without their knowledge or permission

2 had had issues with referencing

1 said they had been instructed to use the wrong referencing system

2 said they were not good at rewording or producing their own structure

1 had been accused of collusion

1 had been found to have similar answers to another student in numerical coursework

1 did not understand what plagiarism was

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These comments are interesting, as they indicate that 7 of the 31 students accused had actually

been accused of collusion or working too closely with a colleague, rather than plagiarism from

published sources. At least 4 of these were also blameless, as the fault lay with colleagues or with

miscommunication from academic staff.

Q17 Did you receive support afterwards?

Of 31 respondents, 30 replied:

16 (53.3%) did receive support

14 (45.2%) did not receive support

This is a surprisingly high percentage of students who received no support after being accused of

plagiarism, and suggests that referral procedures for students being investigated could be enhanced

to ensure they are clear on what will happen next. This is particularly important as the figures from

Q16 indicate that many of them may not have intentionally plagiarised, and while the enquiry is

pending, may find the process distressing.

Q18 Where did you receive support from?

All 16 students who received support answered this question, and indicated that they received it

from the following sources:

8 A personal tutor

8 The School or Department (may be the same 8)

3 The Student Advice Centre

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1 Student Services

2 gave other answers, which were Course Leader and module lecturer

This indicates that about 10 of the 16 students received direct support from a tutor or lecturer

within their department, which might fairly be expected to be the first line of support in these

cases. However, this was not consistent across all cases, and might be a point of improvement.

Q19 What support did you receive?

Again, all 16 who had received support gave free text replies to this question:

6 had had a meeting with a tutor or module convenor where it was explained what they had done

wrong

4 received help from the Student Advice Centre to prepare for a hearing with the School

1 was given a chance to resubmit with footnotes

1 was given a warning and an explanation

1 was given a course handbook

1 was given guidance on how to use data

1 was given an exercise on plagiarism to test their understanding

1 was given more information on plagiarism

In at least 4 of the cases, a meeting with the tutor or module convenor was enough to resolve the

issue, suggesting again that this should always be the first line of support in cases of suspected

plagiarism. However, it is clear that the Student Advice Centre also plays a useful role, particularly if

the process moves to a more formal disciplinary hearing. One student in particular noted that the

SAC provided the necessary support when their department had referred them for a hearing without

giving the opportunity for a more informal resolution with the tutor. They received ‘Advice on how

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to go about the hearing. Advice on what I had actually done wrong because my department did not

even tell me what I had done wrong.’ (6)

Q20 Why did you copy the text?

Of the 30 who responded to this question:

14 (46.7%) did not realise they were plagiarising

4 (13.3%) did not feel confident enough in English to use their own words

1 (3.3%) thought it would get them better marks

14 students gave other reasons, which were:

3 said they didn’t copy, someone copied theirs

2 said it was to help someone else

2 said they were found not guilty of copying

2 said they were under pressure to finish on time, because of heavy coursework loads, so either

copied or did not perfect the referencing

1 said they were struggling to put specialist terminology into different words

1 was concerned that changing the words might change the meaning

1 was also found not guilty, they had just used similar numerical methods

1 was confused over where to use quotation marks

1 had not been told to use footnotes in previous work

Summarising these responses then, it appears that almost half (14) of those accused did not

knowingly or deliberately plagiarise and at least 6 students were subsequently found innocent of any

academic offence. However, of those who did experience genuine difficulties:

6 of these were due to lack of confidence with English language

2 were struggling to finish on time

2 were not clear on the technicalities of how to reference.

These findings are interesting, as they suggest that for international students who run into

difficulties with plagiarism, not understanding how to reference is a less significant factor than the

twin pressures of trying to complete a heavy coursework load in a second language, and that this

might be considered by tutors both when setting deadlines and when suspicions around potential

cases of plagiarism are raised.

Section D: General questions

Q21 What would help you to understand referencing and plagiarism better?

Of 1504 responses to this question:

921 (61.2%) would have liked the chance to submit a formative assessment for feedback

736 (48.9%) would like clearer explanations of plagiarism

569 (37.8%) would like compulsory workshops

367 (24.4%) would like information on referencing in their first language

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236 respondents also gave other free text comments. 44 of these indicated that they did not feel

they needed any more information, and their understanding was fine. Others praised existing good

practice, for example academic writing courses (2 students, one of whom had received this at Trent

University) or the Foundation for Politics module. However, there were a number of other

suggestions made, from which some clear themes emerged. These tended to reflect the fact that

generally, the University is better at flagging up what plagiarism is, than it is at providing detailed

guidance on how to avoid it by referencing fully. These themes are explored below in some detail,

with those receiving most comments first.

Referencing guidelines:

30 students emphasized a need for guidelines on referencing that were clear, consistent, specific

and detailed, and which were available both on Moodle, and addressed in class.

10 students specifically asked for referencing to be taught actively in classes or seminars (ie face to

face rather than just in a booklet), later in the term than induction week, or at campuses other than

UP. Another student suggested subject-specific clinics that covered referencing, footnotes and

endnotes and bibliographies, and 1 student specifically asked for Endnote training in the first year

(192).

Examples of plagiarism:

21 students asked for concrete examples or illustrations of what is and is not plagiarism, within

their own discipline. 6 more added that these examples address the differences between

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plagiarism and co-operation, and between secondary data and “common knowledge.” One student

commented:

As an FE lecturer who teaches technical communication, I would suggest an embedded

approach in the student's discipline that deconstructs what plagiarism looks like within that

discipline. This involves a shift away from "we will catch you for plagiarising" to enhancing

students' skills in self-assessing their own writing, referencing, and citing. (140)

Another student commented that this should be delivered in a supportive rather than intimidatory

way:

Clear, first-hand examples of plagiarism and its use. Personally, I think it would be much more

convenient if the school tried to explain the concept of plagiarism and both educate and

encourage us students to avoid the act rather than spending so much time and energy on

intimidation. Frankly, all sorts of threats and the fear that comes with them are more likely to

increase the stress and insecurity of students making us feel like we don't have enough

knowledge on what plagiarism actually is. I have seen so many students (not just international

but British too) on the brink of a nervous breakdown just because they are so scared of what

might happen if a marker found evidence on plagiarism in their works. This, I think, is neither a

healthy nor a supportive atmosphere in which to learn and educate ourselves. You see, in most

cases, the students do know the general definition of plagiarism and how to avoid it (and

indeed do their everything to avoid it), but under an enormous pressure they begin to doubt

themselves and stress about "minor" lapses, such as "did I miss a footnote? what if I put the

footnote in the wrong place?(154)

Access to Turnitin:

23 students mentioned making greater use of Turnitin to check their work before they submit it (at

the moment this is just optional and not all students are aware they can use it), and the need for

specific guidelines on what percentage would constitute plagiarism. 1 student commented that this

might help them to overcome the fear of submitting:

The first assignment was dreadful for me; because although I had learned and understood the

concept of plagiarism and I did my best to avoid it, I was still nervous when I was submitting

the essay. Therefore, I think some kind of guidance, especially in the first semester, would be

very helpful. For instance a website that can check our essay before submitting it. (182)

However, 2 further students commented that this approach ran the risk of turning the issue of

plagiarism into a numbers game, whereas it was more powerful to appeal to a moral argument:

I think a lot of people don't understand the basic concept of plagiarism, their aim is to get the

plagiarism percentage down and the basic principle behind it is not taken care of. It’s not

about fighting for the number, it’s about giving credit to who deserves it and ones work being

their own. (142)

Plagiarism is not something that international students do not understand, it’s more of the

simple case of being complacent and lazy. Maybe instead of focusing too much on the concept

of plagiarism itself, the University can focus on the concept of creating new thoughts and ideas

from one's own effort and taking pride of the work done regardless of the marks given. (92)

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Acknowledging cultural differences in academic practice:

3 students recommended that particular cultural differences be emphasized when exploring this

topic (112, 204, 208). For example:

I'm ok. I think plagiarism is mostly a cross-cultural problem and then a problem with a lack of

confidence in using English. In my experience, in China, no matter how much I explained this

issue and the consequences of failing to adhere to plagiarism rules, I still had many students

plagiarize. They did not have the same feeling of right and wrong. Also, they were

embarrassed their perceived poor communicative ability in English. Therefore, you need to

present this problem as a critical incident and explain the cultural significance of plagiarism. I

have had to fail students because of this and they were incredulous. (112)

Personally I am a teacher aware of these issues, and a native speaker so the materials

provided were fine. But the approach to this is culturally very different. In the UAE almost

every student just sees it as helping friends (when plagiarising from peers) - or are just trying

to get away with it as they probably will get a second chance in some form. So yes, info in

other languages, with a cultural angle thrown in. Perhaps a self-assessed module on moodle

with simple matching or evaluation activities would help. (208)

In a counter-argument, however, one student stressed that international students should not be

targeted as being at any higher risk of committing plagiarism than home-based British students,

reiterating the case made at the start that the incidence of accusations of plagiarism among

international students does not appear to be disproportionately high:

If this does happen (workshops, practical assessments) this must occur at all levels in the

university: UG, Masters and PG. Don't forget that British students do the same all the time - I

know as their seminar leader and marker. It must be done as well to not feel as though

International Students are being bashed once more - we pay SO MUCH to the university and

sometimes are treated like idiots or parasites. Some lecturers need help recognising how to

explain plagiarism and referencing, not to mention that they too shouldn't take credit for their

students' work (it does happen). (223)

Workload issues:

Finally, 1 student raised workloads for international students working in a second language as being

an important underlying issue, which if addressed might allow more time for the generation of

original work:

In my opinion is the work load of the PGCEi Programme too heavy. Even though I am still able to handle it because I already have a Masters degree and sacrifice nearly all my spare time beside my fulltime work commitment. But for an ordinary student it is simply too much. I suppose that is the reason why students plagiarise. I suggest returning to a reasonable workload that is achievable within certain time limits. I suppose it has been underestimated how much time international students need to keep up with British literature and concepts and special vocabulary of his / her field of study. I would appreciate if you would enquire how much time international students need for their studies. I think that would be valuable when planning the next educational programmes. Carrying out a survey like this is certainly a step into the right direction. Thank you! (30)

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Of the 31 students who had been accused of plagiarism, 30 answered this question, as follows:

17 (56.7%) would have liked a chance to submit formative work for assessment

13 (43.3%) would have liked a clearer explanation of plagiarism

11 (36.7%) would have liked special compulsory workshops

6 (20%) would have liked information on referencing in their own language

7 students left other comments which reflect several of the key priorities identified above, as

follows:

I understand what is plagiarism. But doing online study, it is sometimes hard when the internet connection are not good enough. Living in China, it is not always so easy to just open the online library.

The fourth option [a chance to submit formative assessment] is clearly the best but I do not think it would be practical as staff usually do not have time for this. In terms of writing a thesis, I have not really met anyone who did not know that they need to reference someone else's work.

May be a bit more briefing about the referencing.

A distinction between direct plagiarism and discussing solutions to a coursework (with classmates) would be useful.

Showing what is plagiarism and use the examples to give students a good understand of different plagiarism situations.

I feel like in our first year even if we might have had some sections in our text could have been considered plagiarism no one really made us aware of it so we could learn for next time.

Allow more usage of 'turn it in' to check the plagiarism percentage.

Again, some themes appear to emerge from these findings, particularly the desirability of being able

to submit formative assessment for feedback (if this can be managed); a need to clarify the

distinctions between plagiarism, collusion and collaboration; a need for concrete examples of

plagiarism based within the discipline; and being able to access Turnitin to test work prior to

submission.

Q22 Other experiences

156 students gave free text replies to this question. Again some themes emerge from these

answers, which are explored in some detail below.

The need to be more supportive and less intimidating when communicating information about

plagiarism, acknowledging the possibility that it can be unintentional when it arises, for example

(14, 29, 39, 71, 150):

During the induction programme I personally thought that students were frightened about plagiarism too much. I was aware of what plagiarism was before coming to the University of Nottingham. But after the induction I was so afraid to accidentally plagiarise someone, that I was checking my every thought and every sentence (whether someone has said something like that), so that I would not be accused of plagiarism without even trying to plagiarise. (14)

Where I come from expressing yourself do not need referencing. I get scared each time I’m writing my essays because I dont want to get into any trouble which is affecting me. (150)

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The importance of continuing to support students and allow the possibility of non-intentionality

even when it moves to disciplinary action, by allowing for a warning and feedback from a tutor for

a first offence (72), and by supporting students better through any formal hearing (39, 99, 111), for

example (both of these students had been accused of plagiarism):

It was the worst experience of my education career (and the first time I have been penalized for cheating) and sometimes I look back on whether I regret coming to the school. But what was the most painful experience was the fact the Head of the my School department could come to the hearing and boldly state things like -The student who missed the plagiarism course during the international week were made aware of the make up session - There was a course that students took during the session that explained plagiarism and - The teachers referred the students back to Student's Handbook for guidelines on how to avoid academic misconduct. Which in my case were all untrue. I try to take responsibilities for my action but in this case I was at a big loss and I wish the school would do more to ensure this does not happen to people like me who actually tries to get a good work done rather than go about cheating. (39)

In my personal experience, I had arrived to University 2 weeks late and on arrival I met with my personal tutor who handed me a plagiarism form and that was the extent of information provided. I have no difficulty in writing/articulation and had no intention of stealing anyone else's work so was quite shocked when I was accused of plagiarism. There was a group meeting held to discuss this offence; there was no form of individual support offered. We were repeatedly accused of intentionally 'stealing' and trying to pass off someone else's work as our own without any attempt to cover it up. I was personally not happy with the way the situation was handled. For such a serious allegation I would expect better support from the University to ensure it does not happen again. (111)

Both of these students also appear to have missed information by being late starters, indicating

relevant information should be made available at point of assessment rather than at the start of

the module only. This issue was also raised as a concern by others (134).

This assumption of intentionality and moving straight to formal disciplinary action were

experienced by one student as racist, suggesting that it is as much in the University’s interest to

acknowledge the issues faced by international students, as it is for the students themselves:

I think British lecturers in general are racist towards internationals and always assume that they're up to no good. I think teachers need a reality check and some sensitivity training. (142)

Targeting workshops where there are clear cultural differences which need to be addressed, rather

than offering them when they are not needed (71, 138) for example:

My friends used to be accused of plagiarism before in China Campus. So I know it is a fairly serious issue in UK universities. This is quite different from traditional Chinese universities (I am sorry to say this but is true). In China, we are not that strict with plagiarism and many students, as far as I know, just copy and paste from Baidu (something like Wikipedia) and won't get any penalty. So before entering into UoN, we have never been educated about reference systematically. So that's why I think this kind of workshop is fairly vital to Chinese students. (17)

Making guidelines on plagiarism available in other languages where there is a particular need, eg Mandarin (27).

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Giving clear guidelines on how secondary material should be used in particular disciplines (51,

135), and also allowing for cultural differences in this practice, even within the EU. For example:

In my opinion, if there seems to be an issue with international students plagiarising (something I was unaware of), it would probably stem from different education systems. I've never heard of plagiarism in Romanian high schools, but that isn't because people shamelessly rip off other people's work, it's because our opinion actually matters to people there, and they are content to hear your opinion and arguments on a subject without evidence as long as the opinion is yours. The biggest hurdle I've come across in writing for Business modules (joint course), is that my opinion now means nothing to them. All they care is to hear the same thing, regurgitated over and over again, without any personal input. You can submit nothing but an explanation on what another author meant and get just as many points as if you offered personal insight (sometimes even more so). And if they ask you to "state and defend a point of view", even then,it doesn't have to be your point of view. (51)

The need to be specific and concrete when providing information on what plagiarism is, how it differs from other offences, and what is “common knowledge” (135), for example:

Different types of academic dishonesty (citing but failing to paraphrase; misattributed citations; unacknowledged working together on assignments; resubmitting assignments to different courses) tend to be lumped together under the term plagiarism, which is confusing, or only plagiarism is focused on (ignoring cheating, fabricating evidence, etc.), which is limiting. (73) I attended the lecture of plagiarism in the induction week but it was very superficial in a sense it did not give any information about how to reference or cite. The lecture did not emphasis the consequences neither. (107)

A need to take into account some international students’ lack of confidence with rewording sophisticated material in a second language, which again may lead to non-intentional plagiarism (77, 105, 125. 129):

This is not to defend or deny that there is no plagiarism among international students at all. But being an international student means that English is not our native language and therefore, what I found is that most people learn to improve their English by repeating what they have read or heard. Often times therefore 'mild' plagiarism is bound to occur in work by international students as for some of us, our English skills are limited by what we have learnt and hence, it should not be expected that they are exactly as creative or original with the words as the native speakers. (77)

I do not believe that the problem for international students is that they do not know what plagiarism is, I think the problem for many mainly is difficulties with how to put the Words into Your own. As an international student, when you read a text, you often remember those exact Words used in that text, hence, without knowing it, when you Write a text concerning that subject you have read about you use the same Words because you do not have a big enough vocabulary. But you do this without knowing it, so when you hand it in, and it gets back as plagiarism you would not have known beforehand. Also, some international students simply do not know a better way of writing it than in the way they found in the original text, and try just to switch the order of the Words, or single Words. (125)

The desirability of submitting formative work for feedback (91):

The best practice and understanding is submitting a trial work (formative assessment) to understand how the system works. I've never encountered anything like that before, so it was hard to understand before you try yourself to write. (91)

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A need for students to have clear guidelines on how to access Turnitin to check their work before

submission, and how it works, (83, 108) for example:

Turnitin is a useful tool, however, the 'percentage of similarity' is not very helpful. It does not distinguish between cited/referenced or 'plagiarized' and it counts in the actual references. It thus often comes up with a very high similarity score (which often keeps me worried that I might be accused of plagiarism despite thoroughly referencing EVERYTHING) (83)

I found the turnitin really confusing. I would have hoped to get more info about that. I got a 30-something percent result on one of my essays but when I looked closer, it had taken into account also the bibliography, case names, laws etc. So I was left confused. I would have wanted to know what are the "normal" percentages and does the teachers look the details of the results. (108)

A need to take the pressures on students to succeed into account (30, 116), for example:

I have seen people do it, both in undergraduate and in PhDs (not in Nottingham, but in other universities). I think social and peer pressure are at the heart of this problem. Trying to solve this problem without addressing its source is like trying fix a bullet wound with a band-aid. In the UK, seeing the extremely unbalanced, unequal society that you have, I would imagine this problem would be worse than in other places. (30)

The importance of the Nottingham and UK University community modelling good practice in terms

of academic acknowledgement and integrity, for example:

Last weekend I found a business card in a bus stop advertising a service for essay writing... including "original work"! I think this is also a kind of plagiarism and something should be done about it in legal terms. Examples of websites are: http://essayswritingonline.co.uk/; http://essaywritingserviceuk.co.uk/; http://www.boomerangreview.com/; etc It is incredible that these exist and nothing is done! It is so unfair for us who work really hard to do good quality and fair research! (121)

Some lecturers says don't plagiarise, but sometimes their slideshow/presentation/ lecture simply a copy paste from books/ wiki/ websites. This might give a bad example, and i honestly lose respect if the lecturer says don't plagiarise, but s/he plagiarise the teaching material from somewhere else. Walk the talk please :) (127)

Summary findings

1 Who is at risk?

Concerns about plagiarising among international students are most acute among those of

non-EU origins, although not exclusively so.

Among those who had been accused of plagiarism, most were from China, Malaysia, Hong

Kong and Nigeria, which does perhaps highlight the difficulties faced by some international

students (including some EU students) in making the transition from a culture where

intellectual attribution is treated differently.

Although Chinese speakers therefore appear to be a group which is at risk of experiencing

problems with plagiarism, no assumptions can be made that other groups, including English

speakers, are immune to these problems.

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2 What information is being received?

Most international students (83%) are receiving information about plagiarism and how to

reference (if not the specific system to use) but much of it is too vague to be useful (see

recommendations section, below).

It was also felt that too much of the communication was of a “threatening” nature, rather

than supportive or educational.

Students specifically mentioned having missed this information because they were late

arrivals, so again, timing of information just before assignments could well be a factor. Two

late starters in this survey went on to be accused of plagiarism.

The information and training from CELE, Centre for English Language Education, was

mentioned as good practice.

Other good practice came from distance learners, who were required to undertake an

online tutorial and then submit a formative assessment for initial feedback.

A substantial majority of students (96.7%) feel they understand what plagiarism is, so if

they are experiencing difficulties with it, this is not usually because they lack understanding

of the concept.

Students are slightly less confident that they understand the consequences of plagiarism

than they are plagiarism itself. It might therefore be beneficial for any information on

plagiarism to contain a clear statement of the possible consequences (from the Quality

Manual), which is explanatory rather than threatening, and which includes a more

nuanced consideration of academic reputation. However, these do need to be consistently

enforced.

3 How are suspicions of plagiarism dealt with?

The number of international students who experience an accusation of plagiarism is not

particularly substantial (about 2% of this survey total) and those who do are often accused

of collusion or working too closely with a colleague, rather than plagiarism from published

sources.

A number of these were subsequently found to be either wholly blameless (about a

quarter), or guilty only of unintentional plagiarism (about a half).

Of those who had plagiarised, about half were due to lack of confidence with English

language; several students said that they struggled with rewording sophisticated material

in a second language, and were concerned this may lead to non-intentional plagiarism.

A small number of others were struggling to finish on time or were not clear on the

technicalities of how to reference. This suggests that not understanding how to reference is

a less significant factor than the twin pressures of trying to complete a heavy coursework

load in a second language, and that this might be considered by tutors both when setting

deadlines and when suspicions around potential cases of plagiarism are raised.

About half of students accused received no support after being accused of plagiarism,

suggesting that referral procedures for students being investigated could be enhanced to

ensure they are clear on what will happen next.

Of those who did receive support, most received it directly from a tutor or lecturer within

their department, which might fairly be expected to be the first line of support in these

cases. In at least 4 of the cases, a meeting with the tutor or module convenor was enough

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to resolve the issue. However, it is clear that the Student Advice Centre also plays a useful

role, particularly if the process moves to a more formal disciplinary hearing.

Again, there is a need to be more supportive and less intimidating when dealing with issues

around plagiarism, acknowledging the possibility that it can be unintentional when it

arises. Good practice appears to be for students to receive a warning and explanatory

feedback from a tutor for a first offence, but if disciplinary action is invoked, students need

to be better supported through any formal hearing. The assumption of intentionality and

moving straight to formal disciplinary action were experienced by one student as racist, and

by others as traumatic.

4 Other recommendations for future action

4.1 Formative assessment:

By far the most popular option for international students (61.2%) was being able to submit

formative assessment for feedback to allow them to build up their proficiency with

intellectual acknowledgement (if this can be managed within existing teaching and

assessment workloads).

4.2 Examples of plagiarism:

Students’ second priority was to have concrete practical examples or illustrations of what is

and is not plagiarism, within their own discipline. These examples should address the

differences between plagiarism, collusion and co-operation, and between secondary data

and “common knowledge”.

This should be delivered in a supportive and educational rather than intimidatory way.

4.3 Referencing guidelines:

Students emphasized a need for guidelines on referencing that were clear, consistent,

specific and detailed, and which were available both on Moodle, and addressed in class.

Students also asked for referencing to be taught actively in classes or seminars (ie face to

face rather than just in a booklet), later in the term than induction week, or at campuses

other than UP.

Endnote training is very helpful, but it needs to be timed earlier, ideally in the first year.

4.4 Access to Turnitin:

Students mentioned the usefulness to all students of using Turnitin to check their work

before they submit it, and the need for specific guidelines on what percentage would

constitute plagiarism.

However there is a risk that this turns the issue of plagiarism into a numbers game, so it is

important for other anti-plagiarism materials to appeal to a moral and academic argument

which stresses the importance of acknowledging ownership of ideas.

4.5 Acknowledging cultural differences:

Particular cultural differences should be emphasized when exploring this topic, and

workshops targeted at those who really need them.

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However, international students should not necessarily be targeted as being at any higher

risk of committing plagiarism than home-based British students (who need their own anti-

plagiarism messages), as the incidence of accusations of plagiarism among international

students does not appear to be disproportionately high.

There were some requests to make guidelines on plagiarism available in other languages

where there is a particular need, eg in Mandarin.

4.6 Workload issues:

Workloads for international students working in a second language need to be kept under

review.

4.7 University-wide issues:

The cultural pressures on students to succeed should be taken into account as a factor

which might lead any student, from any home country, to plagiarise or cheat more generally.

It is important that the Nottingham and UK University community model good practice in

terms of academic acknowledgement and integrity.