The librarian's role in combating plagiarism

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to discuss the ways in which librarians of different types are addressing the issue of plagiarism at the institutional and pedagogical levels.Design/methodology/approachA 25‐question non‐quantitative online survey was conducted regarding: the institutional role of librarians in plagiarism prevention; the collaborations among librarians and instructors in helping students understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it; and the interactions among librarians and students involved in combating plagiarism.FindingsMore than 90 percent of the 610 respondents report that they have assisted students with citing sources. Over 70 percent have instructed students about plagiarism in class. Approximately a quarter have collaborated with other departments regarding plagiarism, conducted or attended workshops on plagiarism, worked with instructors to redesign assignments, or helped faculty with tracking possible instances of student plagiarism.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper reports on a survey which is not statistically valid. The results of this survey, however, can shed light on the librarian's role to date in combating plagiarism and suggest future directions.Practical implicationsThis survey reports what librarians are doing to address plagiarism at all levels, and it reflects what is being practiced in the field.Originality/valueWhile many librarians have written about plagiarism strategies, this national survey focuses on the work of librarians at the institutional and pedagogical levels.

Plagiarism, a Widespread Contemporary Problem

“…The courses on how to correctly make references to bibliography have reduced the number of unethical quotations (Law, Ting and Jerome, 2013); the mix between conceptual and practical aspects characteristic of each discipline has increased the understanding and application of knowledge related to plagiarism in educational enterprises (Powell and Singh, 2016); a course on research methodology at master's level has been well received by students in the innovative form in which it was proposed: namely as a collaboration between teachers and librarians and focused on two aspects -the correct use of references and the legal and ethical aspects of plagiarism (Gunnarsson, Kulesza and Pettersson, 2014). Libraries and librarians have been granted a wider role in combating plagiarism: from the informal status of irregular counselling on anti-plagiarism (Mansoor and Ameen, 2016) to formal training in the field and prevention of the phenomenon (Gibson and Chester-Fangman, 2011).…”

Handbook of Research on Academic Misconduct in Higher Education

“…In addition, the practice of writing a paper and making up references to support it is considered a behavior more frequently associated with faculty than students (Dey & Sobhan, 2006). In this regard, Gibson and Chester-Fangman (2011) found librarians could assist faculty by disseminating information on AI and plagiarism. Additionally, both faculty and students must attempt to understand why committing plagiarism should not even be considered an option (McCuen, 2008).…”

“…In the English-speaking Caribbean, the growing incidence of plagiarism among Higher Education (HE) students (Almeida, 2015;Francis, 2013) signifies a need to understand students' awareness, knowledge and perception of these issues. While an investigation into students' knowledge practices will be important to gauge their full cognizance of plagiarism, Library and Information Science (LIS) students represent a noteworthy group in combatting plagiarism (Gibson & Chester-Fangman, 2011). As graduates and imminent information workers within national, regional, and global networks in different library genres, some aspect of their job responsibility will be to educate persons to become information literate.…”

The Effect of International Baccalaureate Program on High School Students’ Misconceptions Regarding Plagiarism

“…Okul yönetimleri tarafından akademik dürüstlük politikası, yasal ve etik düzenlemeler belirlenmeli ve rehberler hazırlanarak öğrencilerin bu ilkeleri anlaması ve öğrenmesi sağlanmalıdır (Carroll, 2012). UBDP kapsamında ilişkilendirilmeyen birçok çalışmada olduğu gibi (Özenç Uçak ve Gülşen Birinci, 2008;Gibson ve Chester-Fangman, 2011ve Gunnarsson, Kulesza ve Petterson, 2014, UBDP'de de intihal, bilimsel etik, etik dışı davranışlar, akademik dürüstlük, alıntı yapma, kaynak gösterme konularındaki eğitimlerin verilmesinde okul kütüphanecilerine önemli roller atfedilmektedir. Tilke (2011) UBDP kapsamında, okul kütüphanecilerinin öğrencilere etik konularla birlikte, ödevlerini (essay) yazarken zorlandıkları birçok konuda, TOK, CAS gibi etkinliklerde önemli katkılarının ve desteklerinin olabileceğini belirtmektedir.…”