Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how knowledge about plagiarism is understood, communicated and implemented at the graduate level.
Twenty-two participants (6 graduate students, 3 faculty members and 1 administrator from each of two departments, and a representative from both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and a Student Affairs office) took part in 60–90 minute one-on-one interviews that included the analysis of a case study. In addition, documents identified as relevant by participants were analyzed for information relevant to plagiarism.
Participants were asked about their own conceptualizations of plagiarism and how they operationalize that understanding in their day-to-day academic work. Participant's understandings and descriptions of plagiarism revealed ambiguity about the application of rules (e.g. group work, common knowledge and use of unpublished work). Intellectual property issues, particularly the ownership over collaborative research and when to share or safeguard work were raised. Graduate students faced these challenges, in part, because there is limited discourse about plagiarism in their respective departments. Consequently, the role of feedback on written work played a crucial role in communicating disciplinary writing and referencing conventions. Both departments revealed a preference for handling cases at informal level. Perceptions about a plagiarizing student's intentions, personality and academic performance may influence how a case is handled within the department.
Suggestions for graduate-level plagiarism education include initiating conversations about plagiarism and related matters in both formal (department orientations and workshops) and informal (conversations in class and within advising relationships) ways. Suggestions for policies include articulating the department's practice for handling cases of plagiarism consistent with formal policy and to create a departmental document pertaining to authorship and intellectual property issues. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
