Major guidance report on student plagiarism published today
- Date: 11-11-2010
The Academic Integrity Service (AIS), which we jointly manage with the Joint Information Service Committee (JISC), has today, 11 November 2010, published a guidance report that will help universities and colleges manage the complex issues of student plagiarism, collusion and data fabrication.
The report, Supporting academic integrity: approaches and resources for higher education, brings together resources on academic integrity and is designed to provide the higher education sector with a range of perspectives on this vital issue.
A key theme to emerge from the case studies in this report is the importance of ensuring students with diverse backgrounds and experiences are supported throughout their study so they can develop academic skills in the context of their subject. Innovative approaches to assessment and the use of software tools to prevent or detect plagiarism were also common themes
Dr Erica Morris, Senior Adviser at the AIS and author of the report, said: “There are many challenges facing higher education and students may well have higher expectations about their experience at university in the future. More than ever before it's vital that HEIs continue to provide services such as advice about writing and citing sources to avoid plagiarism, and that they have academic integrity policies in place to support staff and students.
“The AIS supports HEIs in this work. UK institutions have done much in recent years to address and manage student plagiarism - we hope that this guide, which brings together a wide range of resources for the first time, will prove a valuable resource for them.”
The guide includes links to UK and international resources designed to provide academics with further information on aspects of academic integrity. These include both generic and discipline-based resources relating to assessment design and minimising plagiarism possibilities, and resources to support the development of students’ skills for good academic practice.
Many of these resources include online tutorials for students, including the University of Leeds’ plagiarism tutorial which covers skills such as paraphrasing and referencing, and the University of Southampton provides web-based activities targeted at international students to help them prepare for university, including academic writing skills, citation and referencing.