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Perceptions of Plagiarism by STEM Graduate Students: A Case Study

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Abstract

Issues of academic integrity, specifically knowledge of, perceptions and attitudes toward plagiarism, are well documented in post-secondary settings using case studies for specific courses, recording discourse with focus groups, analyzing cross-cultural education philosophies, and reviewing the current literature. In this paper, the authors examine the perceptions of graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at the University of Florida regarding misconduct and integrity issues. Results revealed students’ perceptions of the definition and seriousness of potential academic misconduct, knowledge of institutional procedures, and views on faculty actions, all with a focus on divergences between US and internationally-educated students. The open-ended questions provide anecdotal evidence to highlight personal experiences, positive and negative, aimed at the faculty, international students and undergraduates. Combined, these findings outline an important part of the campus academic integrity culture at a major American university. Recommendations for local actions also are discussed.

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Notes

  1. One respondent reported a state of mind over a plagiarism offense that led the authors immediately to contact an appropriate university office out of concern for the respondent’s mental health. The reporting action also required completing an “adverse effects” form with IRB. The authors don’t know how many corrective avenues the respondent had attempted, but the survey afforded an opportunity. The respondent’s comment has been stricken from the dataset.

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Acknowledgement

The authors are deeply grateful for the guidance, mentoring and expertise of Dr. Donald L. McCabe, who not only permitted the adaptation of his survey, but also served as an external consultant on the NSF Grant project, Gaming Against Plagiarism, EESE IIS #1033002.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marston Science Library, University of Florida, PO Box 117011, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Michelle Leonard, Amy Buhler, Denise Beaubien Bennett & Melody Royster

  2. Library West, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, PO Box 117000, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    David Schwieder

Authors
  1. Michelle Leonard
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  2. David Schwieder
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  3. Amy Buhler
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  4. Denise Beaubien Bennett
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  5. Melody Royster
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle Leonard.

Appendix: Survey Instrument

Appendix: Survey Instrument

Response data available at http://ufdc.ufl.edu/l/IR00003940/00001.

Perceptions of Plagiarism in the Academic Environment

Q1.:

[affirm consent to participate voluntarily]

Q2.:

Have you been informed about the University of Florida Honor Code regarding academic honesty?

Yes

No

Q3.:

If yes to question #2, where and how much have you learned about the UF Honor Code policies?

 

Learned little or nothing

Learned some

Learned a lot

Graduate orientation program

   

University of Florida website

   

Program Director or Advisor

   

Faculty (e.g., discussed in class, course syllabi, or course outlines)

   

Librarian/Library

   

Other students

   

Other (please specify)

   
Q4.:

In the past year, how often did any of your professors discuss policies concerning:

 

Never

Very seldom

Seldom

Often

Very often

Plagiarism

     

Guidelines on group work or collaboration

     

Proper citation/referencing of in-print sources

     

Proper citation/referencing of internet sources

     

Incorporating another’s course lab data as your own

     

Incorporating another’s research data as your own

     
Q5.:

Please mark how serious you think each type of behavior is.

 

Not plagiarism

Trivial

Moderate

Serious

Working on an assignment with others (in person) when the professor asked for individual work

    

Working on an assignment with others (via e-mail/chat) when the professor asked for individual work

    

In a course requiring computer work, copying another student’s

    

program rather than writing your own

    

Incorporating another’s course lab data as your own

    

Incorporating another’s research data as your own

    

Paraphrasing or copying a few sentences from a book, magazine, or journal (not electronic or Webbased) without citing them in a paper you submitted

    

Paraphrasing or copying a few sentences from a book, magazine, or journal (electronic/Internet)

    

Without citing them in a paper you submitted

    

Turning in a paper written and previously submitted by another student and claiming it as your own work

    

Quoting another author in your own work without citing them in a paper you submitted

    

Copying material, almost word for word, from any written source and turning it in as your own work

    

Turning in work done by someone else

    

Turning in the same paper for another class

    

Copying and pasting directly from several different sources and combining them to create a paragraph for a paper

    

Accidentally or purposely adding/deleting/changing words in a quotation

    
Q6.:

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

 

Disagree strongly

Disagree

Not Sure

Agree

Agree strongly

Plagiarism is a serious problem at UF

     

Investigation of suspected incidents of plagiarism is fair and impartial at UF

     

Faculty members are vigilant in discovering and reporting suspected cases of academic dishonesty, specifically plagiarism

     

Faculty members change assignments on a regular basis

     

The amount of course work I’m expected to complete is reasonable for my year level and program

     

The degree of difficulty in my assignments is appropriate for my year level and program

     

The types of assessment used in my courses are effective at helping me learn course concepts

     
Q7.:

Has someone ever taken credit for, or plagiarized, your work?

Yes

No

Q8.:

Have you ever reported another student for plagiarizing an assignment?

Yes

No

Q9. :

Did you complete your undergraduate degree in the United States?

Yes

No. If no, in which country did you complete your undergraduate degree?

Q10.:

Please select your primary department [from a drop-down menu].

Q11.:

Do you use a bibliography/citation management tool? (e.g. RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero, ProCite, Mendeley)

Yes

No

Q12.:

Please share any personal experiences you encountered with plagiarism. [open-ended response]

Q13.:

Do you have any other comments about plagiarism or academic honesty? [open-ended response]

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Leonard, M., Schwieder, D., Buhler, A. et al. Perceptions of Plagiarism by STEM Graduate Students: A Case Study. Sci Eng Ethics 21, 1587–1608 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-014-9604-2

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