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ABSTRACT
Plagiarism hinders student success because it shortcuts genuine writing practice and incurs penalties when discovered. Although students are aware of its potential consequences, plagiarism continues. This article reflects on the polyconundrum of empathizing with the many hindrances to student writing while deploying strategies to reduce plagiarism and improve academic essay skills.
Keywords: documentation, international students' written English, plagiarism, research writing, student success
For international students in particular, solid English writing skills matter. Mastering spoken and written English increases global employability and earning power (Pandey & Pandey, 2014; Rawlings & Sue, 2013, p. 31). Learning to write in a second language is hard, and plagiarizing only delays the learning. Yet plagiarism is as common among international students as domestic (Duff, Rogers, & Harris, 2006). I believe its prevalence is due in significant part to problems that nonnative English speakers encounter when they seek a degree at a native-English-speaking university. In this article, I present several problems that I myself did not predict when I first started teaching international students. I also present my solutions.
REFLECTION ON THE ROOTS OF STUDENT PLAGIARISM
Over the years, I have learned that plagiarism has many roots: cultural confusion (Duff, Rogers, & Harris, 2006; Evans & Youman, 2000; Hu & Lei, 2015; Mundara & Chaudhuri, 2007), second-language frustration (Baty & Caulcutt, 2005), limited resources for help (Hennebry, Lo, & Macaro, 2012, pp. 225-226), the growing culture of Internet copying-and-pasting ("Web Plagiarism Keeps Rising," 2003; Kim, Hwang, Lee, & Shim, 2016), the ineffectiveness of plagiarism penalties as a deterrent (SutherlandSmith, 2010), perceived lack of plagiarism policy enforcement (Austin, Collins, Remillard, Kelcher, & Chuia, 2006, p. 5), and an attitude of acceptance toward plagiarizing among students (Austin et al., 2006).
My discovery of these roots has helped me devise strategies to address plagiarism to a much greater degree than in the past. For example, in addition to use of electronic detection devices, I describe plagiarism in my syllabus and incorporate reminders during the preparation period for each writing project. Our university librarians pinpoint plagiarism in their research training sessions. When I catch plagiarism, I apply penalties and remediation on a case-by-case basis. To assess student views of plagiarism, I have students write short in-class essays about what plagiarism is and whether...