This article considers the problematic question of student plagiarism, its causes and manifestations and how it is addressed in academic environments. A literature survey was conducted to establish how higher education institutions approach these issues and a twofold investigation was conducted at the University of Cape Town. Data was gathered from the case records of the university disciplinary tribunals dealing with plagiarism, and a survey was conducted among academic staff to establish how they dealt with issues surrounding plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Both qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed, from which it was established that academics might be unwilling to follow official university policies if they were perceived to be unrealistic.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the use made of the Research Commons during its first year of operation in an attempt to establish whether it actually provides a genuinely new and different service from the point of view of the end-users, and whether a facility such as this could indeed be presumed to support research and enhance research output at the university. Design/methodology/approach -Using Lippincott's assessment grid, an attempt was made to assess activities in the Research Commons according to the dimensions of extensiveness, efficiency, effectiveness, service quality and usefulness. Methodology was mixed, with quantitative and qualitative components that logged the extent and nature of the use of the various facilities in the Research Commons and sought to establish from stakeholder perceptions whether the services on offer are regarded as substantially different from those in the undergraduate Knowledge Commons and whether they are indeed seen to be supporting research activities. Findings -It was found that a combination of numerical and qualitative measurements has yielded sufficient evidence for the drawing of preliminary conclusions. The evidence gathered demonstrates that the Research Commons, designed primarily as a site for the creation of new knowledge in the form of original writing by researchers at postgraduate and academic level, is indeed an advance on the well-established "library commons" concept, and that its creation represents an instance of "parallel invention" -the "new creature" that the title refers to. Originality/value -This paper provides a multifaceted perspective on the activities taking place in a new library facility and should provide librarians and researchers with evidence-based insight into how meaningful research support may be provided to young researchers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as part of an academic library service in a middle income country.
Digital data archiving and research data management have become increasingly important for institutions in South Africa, particularly after the announcement by the National Research Foundation, one of the principal South African academic research funders, recommending these actions for the research that they fund. A case study undertaken during the latter half of 2014, among the biological sciences researchers at a South African university, explored the state of data management and archiving at this institution and the readiness of researchers to engage with sharing their digital research data through repositories. It was found that while some researchers were already engaged with digital data archiving in repositories, neither researchers nor the university had implemented systematic research data management.
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore from a number of points of view the perceptions of mainly undergraduate students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) about the value they derive from visiting the physical library.Design/methodology/approach: Data from different investigations were assembled to derive a composite view of undergraduates' perceptions of the value of the library. LibQUAL+® data reflecting the "Library as Place" dimension of the survey completed in 2014 were scrutinized; data from two surveys conducted in the information commons and the 24/7 venue of the main library at UCT were compiled and data from gate counts during the past three years showed different aspects of undergraduates' opinions and behavior. Findings:The combination of data from difference sources provided convincing evidence that undergraduate students value the library as a physical space and that they believe their working in the library enables them to get better marks for their university work.Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in the combination of different datasets to focus on one particular issue, the value of the physical library.
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