Plagiarism rampant among students

Plagiarism is now so widespread that the “vast majority” of students commit it, according to a new book.

In the book, Australian academic Tim Roberts argues that the internet has helped to turn plagiarism into an endemic disease in universities and research institutions right around the world.

The book, Student Plagiarism in an Online World: Problems and Solutions, explores the legal and ethical issues surrounding the issue and the techniques that can be used to tackle it.

Roberts said: “Plagiarism can no longer be considered as a crime committed by a poor unfortunate few with questionable morals. Rather, it is a crime ­ if it is indeed a crime ­ committed by a significant number of students, perhaps the majority, at one time or another.”

The book includes real-life examples, including those from Roberts’ own teaching experience, which shed light on the scale of the problem.

He said: “One particular term I decided to use an automated tool to check for plagiarism. This reported that the vast majority of the students had copied from each other or from available sources on the web.”

Roberts said it was essential to educate students about plagiarism and how to avoid it. “Students cannot be expected to play by the rules if they are not acquainted with them,” he said.

Student Plagiarism was published by US scholarly research publisher IGI Global in February.
www.igi-global.com