Academic integrity and plagiarism: perceptions and experience of staff and students in a school of dentistry: A situational analysis of staff and student perspectives

Abstract

Introduction: This project has investigated student and staff perceptions and experience of plagiarism in a large Australian dental school to develop a response to an external audit report. Methods: Workshops designed to enhance participants’ understanding of plagiarism and to assist with practical ways to promote academic integrity within the school were provided to all students and staff. Anonymous surveys were used to investigate perceptions and experience of plagiarism and to assess the usefulness of the workshops. Results: Most participants felt that plagiarism was not a problem in the school, but a significant number were undecided. The majority of participants reported that the guidelines for dealing with plagiarism were inadequate and most supported the mandatory use of text‐matching software in all courses. High proportions of participants indicated that the workshops were useful and that they would consider improving their practice as a result. Conclusions: The study provided data that enhanced understanding of aspects of plagiarism highlighted in the report at the school level and identified areas in need of attention, such as refining and raising awareness of the guidelines and incorporation of text‐matching software into courses, as well as cautions to be considered (how text‐matching software is used) in planning responsive action.

Alternation 25,2 (2018) 181–209181Electronic ISSN: 2519-5476; DOI https://doi.org/10.29086/2519-5476/2018/v25n2a8Attitudes Toward Plagiarism: The Case of Undergraduate Health Sciences Students at the University of Pretoria

“…There were also statistically significant differences in plagiarism attitudes observed between first year and third year students. These findings are supported by Ford and Hughes (2012) who also found statistical differences amongst students across different levels of study and study programmes in a school of dentistry. As mentioned earlier, TPB posits that one's intention to engage in a particular behaviour depends on one's attitude to that behaviour (Finchilescu & Cooper 2018).…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Postgraduate Dental Students Towards Plagiarism in Maharashtra State, India: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…There was not a single study which compared perception of plagiarism amongst MDS postgraduate students. The results of the present study are contradictory to that conducted by Ford and Hughes [9] where no postgraduate dental students identified plagiarism as an issue and the majority of students and staff supported the mandatory use of Turnitin in all courses with the exception of postgraduate students, many of whom [44%] were still undecided on the value of this practice. According to study conducted by Singh et al On dental professionals most of the dental professionals know about plagiarism and they believe that pressure to publish was a major reason along with several others, which accounts for more and more indulgence in plagiarism [10].…”

Effectiveness of tutorials for promoting educational integrity: a synthesis paper

“…The workshops used presentations and discussions about academic integrity, plagiarism, institutional policies, and/or avoiding plagiarism as the primary instructional strategies with the aim of providing resources, increase awareness, and reducing the risk of plagiarism. *Ford and Hughes (2012) reported that a brief workshop improved students' understanding of plagiarism; however, no statistical tests were conducted. *Morgan and Hart (2013) did not find differences in self-reported cheating or perceptions of cheating between groups of students who did and did not attend a brief academic integrity workshop.…”