Teachers don't recognise plagiarism, students believe

More than three quarters of Brazilian students believe teachers would not spot plagiarism in their work, a survey has found.

Students from around 50 universities and colleges across the country were asked about their experiences and understanding of plagiarism.

Just 23% thought their tutors were capable of detecting unoriginal work.

More than 250 undergraduates and postgraduates studying a range of subjects responded to the surveys, carried out by UK-based website Plagiarism Advice.org, which provides expert advice and training to the education sector.

The site is sponsored by Turnitin, the world-leading plagiarism prevention tool which is already used by UNESP and USP.

Over 85% of students were in favour of using detection software such as Turnitin.

Turnitin's Academic Advisor, Gill Rowell, said: "Students seem to have a good level of awareness about plagiarism and the various activities which constitute academic misconduct.

"Students were overwhelmingly in favour of using detection software and were keen to uphold the reputation of their university.

"But worryingly, only around one in three felt their institution was taking the issue of plagiarism seriously enough."

Almost 90% of students were opposed to plagiarism, as they felt it devalued the qualification they were working towards, however more than a quarter admitted to having plagiarised themselves.

Many students felt that education about plagiarism and how to cite properly should begin at an early age.

One said: "This should be taught from elementary school to avoid these issues in later academic life."

And several agreed that they needed clearer direction from their tutors.

Professor Marcelo Krokoscz, of Alvares Penteado Business College Foundation (FECAP), who is set to host a series of weekly webinars with Plagiarismadvice.org, agreed.

He said: "Perhaps we assume that every student knows how to write scientific reports. That's a mistake!

"How can we tell students not to plagiarise if we do not teach them how to write academically?

"I'm encouraged by the fact that the majority of students surveyed agree with the use of detection software because although it is a means of catching people, it is also an aid to teaching correct academic writing and referencing."

Professor Krokoscz will run three online seminars on the subject of plagiarism and academic integrity, starting on August 22.
Each session will be accompanied by a free tip sheet, which will be available to download.

Professor Krokoscz added: "The webinars will provide invaluable insights into how teachers can foster a culture of honesty and promote integrity in their students' work."

For further information or to register visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7604736973

One in Three Students has Plagiarised, Survey Finds

Almost a third of UK university students has plagiarised work, a Europe-wide study has found.

More than 330 students took part in the survey and 31% said they had either deliberately or accidentally plagiarised. The study was part of the Impact of Policies for Plagiarism in Higher Education across Europe (IPPHEAE) project which has involved all 27 countries of the EU.

Students, academic teaching staff and senior management in universities and colleges were all asked about their understanding and experience of plagiarism.

The preliminary findings will be presented next week at a major two-day conference sponsored by Turnitin, the leader in plagiarism and originality checking for educational institutions worldwide.

Gill Rowell, Academic Advisor for Turnitin and Plagiarism Advice, will be talking about plagiarism and academic integrity in the UK at the event which will be hosted by Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic on June 12 and 13.

She said: "We’re proud to be sponsoring this conference and supporting the three-year IPPHEAE project, researching policies, procedures and tools for tackling plagiarism.

"This is about capturing awareness and attitudes to help provide the bigger picture in Europe.

"Previous research indicates that plagiarism is a serious global problem, with some countries taking more active approaches than others to discourage it.

"The results will be made available to universities and colleges worldwide and could influence international educational strategy."

The anonymous surveys have generated almost 5,000 responses.

The highlight of the conference will be a debate between Jude Carroll and Debora Weber-Wulff, both well known in the world of plagiarism research.

Dr Weber-Wulff is a regular contributor to the VroniPlag Wiki which has exposed cases of plagiarism by high-profile figures including German Education Minister Annette Schavan, who was found to have plagiarised parts of her doctoral thesis.

Jude Carroll has worked internationally for more than a decade researching and supporting initiatives to address the underlying causes of plagiarism.

Irene Glendinning, the project’s Principal Investigator, said: "There is no doubt that Debora's support for naming and shaming has been highly effective in bringing plagiarism to the attention of the international community.

"Jude’s work has been very influential in transforming the way many UK universities manage breaches in academic integrity.

"Their very different approaches should make for a lively but friendly debate!"

For further details and to register for the event visit: http://ippheae.pefka.mendelu.cz/

For further information please contact Caroline Smith, Communications and PR Officer on (0044) (0)845 643 0105 or email intmedia@turnitin.com

National Plagiarism Service Proves Success

A government-funded project established 10 years ago to identify and prevent plagiarism in students' assessed work has proved a success.

A nationwide rollout of Turnitin plagiarism detection software coupled with best practice guidance has led to a 59% reduction in unoriginal essay content.

In 2002, growing concern about the 'cut and paste' culture in academia prompted Jisc, the UK expert on digital technologies in education and research, to fund a project to establish the Plagiarism Advisory Service.

The service's aim was to establish a national strategy to allow UK higher and further education institutions to check the authenticity of student work.

Universities and colleges were given free access to Turnitin plagiarism detection software for an initial three years.

In 2005, 7.7% of work submitted to the system was flagged as having more than three quarters of unoriginal – or potentially plagiarised - content. By 2012, that figure had fallen to 3.1%.

Work with a 'similarity rate' of more than 50% fell from 10.5% in 2005 to 6.6% in 2012.

Will Murray, Vice President of Turnitin International, said: “Student surveys and evidence from the US identified there were issues arising out of the increased availability of material on the internet which needed to be addressed with a nationwide strategy.

"Turnitin has always emphasised the need for an integrated strategy where technology is combined with advice and guidance, but there is no doubt that the use of Turnitin has acted as the most significant catalyst for change within institutions."

"Alongside the software, we have created a global community of academics and user groups to ensure that we draw on expertise and best practice from across the world."

"As a result the problem appears to be much more in control and there has been an overall reduction in unoriginal content."

Now, Turnitin is used in 98% of UK higher education institutions. The use of originality reports has increased almost fifty-fold since 2005, with in excess of five million produced in 2012.

Dr Mike Reddy, one of a number of academics to form the original advisory board, said: “It was important to adopt a holistic approach where the advisory role and the introduction of detection software would complement each other.

"This strategy, including five internationally recognised conferences, has had a significant impact in terms of changing attitudes in UK and global approaches to handling plagiarism."

Turnitin sponsors the PlagiarismAdvice.org service, which became financially independent of Jisc in 2007 and provides resources, advice and training to the education sector as well as organising the international Plagiarism Conference.

For further information please contact Caroline Smith, Communications and PR Officer on (0044) (0)845 643 0105 or email intmedia@turnitin.com