An investigation of Iranian EFL Masters students' perceptions of plagiarism

Abstract

This study examined the understanding, perceived seriousness, and prevalence rates of different forms of plagiarism among Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Masters students studying at universities in Iran where their courses were taught in English. A survey questionnaire was used. The results indicated that plagiarism was pervasive among the students, and that they had an inadequate understanding of different forms of plagiarism. Second, prevalence rates of plagiarism were negatively correlated with both perceived seriousness and understanding of plagiarism at significant levels. Third, perceived seriousness of plagiarism was a predictor of prevalence rates of plagiarism among Iranian EFL Masters students. Finally, no significant relationship was found between the understanding of plagiarism and the respondents' years of study implying that the recognition of various forms of plagiarism remains a challenging task for the students during their whole academic lives. These findings highlighted the need for instructing students in the issues related to plagiarism in order to minimise its prevalence rates.

Why do postgraduate students commit plagiarism? An empirical study

“…In addition, one of the researchers also works as an Assistant Librarian at MZUNI where he has observed that some postgraduate students' theses contain poor attribution to sources and the list of references are poorly prepared or completely omitted. Third, literature shows that students cannot be completely blamed for committing plagiarism because some may commit this academic offence unintentionally (Batane 2010;Mahmood et al 2011;Zafarghandi et al 2012). Finally, our thorough search in major library databases reveals that no research has been conducted in relation to plagiarism in higher education in Malawi.…”

“…The danger with students overrating their academic writing is that they may not appreciate deficiencies in their academic writing abilities, and consequently, they may continue to commit plagiarism unintentionally. Poor understanding of plagiarism on the part of students put them at a higher risk of plagiarising (Leask 2006;Mahmood et al 2011;Orim et al 2013;Riasati and Rahimi 2013;Zafarghandi et al 2012).…”

“…In Iran, Zafarghandi et al (2012) reported high rates of plagiarism among Masters' students in Iranian universities. Zafarghandi et al (2012) found that the common forms of plagiarism committed by students included paraphrasing without acknowledging sources, omitting quotation marks in directs quotes, patch-writing, and presenting secondary citation as if the original source had been consulted. Similar forms of plagiarism have also been reported in other studies (De Jager and Brown 2010;Leask 2006;Agu and Olibie 2009;Ryan et al 2009;Trost 2009).…”

“…Other studies have established that the more students see plagiarism as a serious offence the less likely they can commit plagiarism. For example, Zafarghandi et al (2012) reported that students who perceived plagiarism as a serious offence were less likely to commit it.…”

“…Intentional plagiarism entails committing plagiarism with full knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism and how it can be prevented whereas unintentional plagiarism is committed inadvertently due to lack of knowledge and skills to avoid it (Mahmood et al 2011). Plagiarism can take different forms including: "copy and paste" without quotes and acknowledging the source; patch-writing; providing wrong or incomplete citation or references; presenting or citing the secondary source as a primary source; ghost-writing; purloining; and contract cheating (De Jager and Brown 2010;Ellery 2008;Ellis et al 2018;Park 2003;Trost 2009;Mahmood et al 2011;Zafarghandi et al 2012). The forms mentioned may either be intentionally or unintentionally committed.…”