Student's perceptions of plagiarism

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Published: Aug 29, 2013
Keywords:
plagiarism, cheating, college, higher education, social norms theory

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Reva M. Fish
SUNY Buffalo State
Gerri M. Hura
SUNY Buffalo State

Abstract

While plagiarism by college students is a serious problem that must be addressed, students generally overestimate the frequency of plagiarism at their schools and blame students they do not know for the majority of incidents. This study looked at students’ estimations of the frequency of plagiarism at a large urban college and explored how that varied over the full range of types of plagiarism, from using another author’s ideas to submitting an entire document copied verbatim from another author’s work. Analysis of student responses to survey items revealed they believe other students are far more likely than them to commit each type of plagiarism and they recognize that some types of plagiarism are more serious than others. The opportunity to reduce incidents of plagiarism by providing students with accurate information about plagiarism at their schools is discussed in the context of social norms theory.

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How to Cite
Fish, R. M., & Hura, G. M. (2013). Student’s perceptions of plagiarism. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(5), 33–45. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/josotl/article/view/3654
Issue
Volume 13, Number 5
Section
Articles
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Author Biographies

Reva M. Fish, SUNY Buffalo State

Social and Psychological Foundations of Education Department

Assistant Professor

Gerri M. Hura, SUNY Buffalo State

Adult Education Department

Associate Professor

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