‘Plagiarism today’: current themes and perspectives

Dr Erica MorrisSenior AdviserAcademic Integrity ServiceThe Higher Education Academy

2

Measuring the scale of the problem

types of misconduct, policies, procedures and penalties

Education and going online

academic integrity modules, learning activities (with text-matching tools)

Follow the light

holistic approach, institutional framework, promoting academic integrity

But in my discipline

educational context, subject-specific academic integrity issues

Uncovering secrets

reasons, student understandings and perspectives

• Summarising work from last 10 years

• Highlighting key issues• Case studies: educational

approaches– Institution– Programme– Subject

• Sharing good practice across higher education

Supporting academic integrity

3

• Reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice in higher education

• Previous research and good practice guidance

• 12 recommendations• Examples and excerpts from

institutional policies• Illustrative cases

Policy works

4

‘Plagiarism tomorrow’: emerging themes, challenges and directions

Dr Erica MorrisSenior AdviserAcademic Integrity ServiceThe Higher Education Academy

6

Measuring the scale of the problem

types of misconduct, policies, procedures and penalties

Education and going online

academic integrity modules, learning activities (with text-matching tools)

Follow the light

holistic approach, institutional framework, promoting academic integrity

But in my discipline

educational context, subject-specific academic integrity issues

Uncovering secrets

reasons, student understandings and perspectives

• Importance of AMBeR project• Methodological issues– Self reporting (dis)honest

behaviour– Variation in terminology

• Patterns: use of assignments– Frequency and nature of plagiarism– Student characteristics– Walker (2010)

• Promote academic integrity– East (2009)

Measuring the scale of the problem

7

• Complex skills– Research, study, academic

writing– Web resources, tutorials,

online modules

• Formative assessment– Students: practise skills– Text-matching tools

• ‘Avoid’, ‘reduce’ plagiarism• Evaluation study

– Academic integrity module– Lack of knowledge: citation– Belter and du Pre (2009)

Education and going online

8

University of Aberdeen’s guidance on plagiarism

• Generic and subject-specific issues– Group work and collusion– Data fabrication

• Context of the subject– Students acquiring knowledge

and skills

• Teaching, learning and assessment practices– Authentic assessments

But in my discipline

9

Follow the light

10

• Continuous staff engagement• Senior management• Ownership of policies

• Working to achieve consistency• Staff development• Joining up strategies and

policies• Using tools effectively

• Holistic approaches– Teaching and learning

strategies– Policies and procedures– Student learning and

development– Staff training and

development

East (2009), Macdonald and Carroll (2006), Park (2004)

• Varied, interrelated reasons• Study on use of sources and

plagiarism in essays– Questionnaire, text-analysis,

consultations with students– Electronic sources as different

from print– Lack of note-taking from

electronic sources– Academic writing: not just

‘technical’ matters– Ellery (2008)

Uncovering secrets

11

Directions

12

13

Supporting academic integrity: approaches and resources for higher education

Policy works: recommendations for reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice in higher education

Follow-up and resources

14

erica.morris@heacademy.ac.uk

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/academic-integrity

Belter, R. W. and du Pre, A. (2009) A strategy to reduce plagiarism in an undergraduate course. Teaching of Psychology, 36(4), 257-261.

Bertram Gallant, T. (2010) UCSD Academic Integrity Annual Report 2008-2009. http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/ug-ed/academicintegrity/AI_2008-2009_Report.pdf [7 June 2011].

Bretag, T. , Mahmud, S., East, J., Green, M., James, C., McGowan, U., Partridge, L., Wallace, M. and Walker, R. (2011) Academic integrity standards: a preliminary analysis of academic integrity policies at Australian universities.

Carroll. J. (2007) A Handbook for Deterring Plagiarism in Higher Education. Second edition. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development.

East, J. (2009) Aligning policy and practice: an approach to integrating academic integrity. Journal of Academic Language & Learning, 3(1), A38-A51.

Ellery, K. (2008) An investigation into electronic-source plagiarism in a first-year essay assignment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(6), 607-617.

Macdonald, R. and Carroll, J. (2006) Plagiarism – a complex issue requiring a holistic institutional approach. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(2), 233-245.

Morris, E. with Carroll, J. (2011) Policy works: recommendations for reviewing policy to manage unacceptable academic practice in higher education. The Academy JISC Academic Integrity Service, The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/academic-integrity

Morris, E. et al (2010) Supporting academic integrity: approaches and resources for higher education. The Academy JISC Academic Integrity Service, The Higher Education Academy. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/academic-integrity

Park, C. (2004) Rebels without a clause: towards an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism by students. Journal of Further and Higher Education. 28 (3), 291-306.

Plagiarismadvice.org (2010) Plagiarism Reference Tariff. Available from: http://www.plagiarismadvice.org/documents/AMBeR%20Tariffv2.pdf [1 November 2010].

Tennant, P. and Duggan, F. (2008) Academic Misconduct Benchmarking Research Project: Part 2. The Recorded Incidence of Student Plagiarism and the Penalties Applied. Available from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/assessment/alldisplay?type=projects&newid=AMBeR&site=york [21 July 2010].

Walker, J. (2010) Measuring plagiarism: researching what students do, not what they say they do. Studies in Higher Education, 35(1), 41-59.

References

15