Abstract/Details

Is plagiarism an issue in graduate education? An examination of two graduate programs

Usick, Brandy L.   University of Manitoba (Canada) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2004. MQ97208.

Abstract (summary)

The purpose of this study was to examine how knowledge about plagiarism is understood, communicated and implemented at the graduate level.

Twenty-two participants (6 graduate students, 3 faculty members and 1 administrator from each of two departments, and a representative from both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and a Student Affairs office) took part in 60–90 minute one-on-one interviews that included the analysis of a case study. In addition, documents identified as relevant by participants were analyzed for information relevant to plagiarism.

Participants were asked about their own conceptualizations of plagiarism and how they operationalize that understanding in their day-to-day academic work. Participant's understandings and descriptions of plagiarism revealed ambiguity about the application of rules (e.g. group work, common knowledge and use of unpublished work). Intellectual property issues, particularly the ownership over collaborative research and when to share or safeguard work were raised. Graduate students faced these challenges, in part, because there is limited discourse about plagiarism in their respective departments. Consequently, the role of feedback on written work played a crucial role in communicating disciplinary writing and referencing conventions. Both departments revealed a preference for handling cases at informal level. Perceptions about a plagiarizing student's intentions, personality and academic performance may influence how a case is handled within the department.

Suggestions for graduate-level plagiarism education include initiating conversations about plagiarism and related matters in both formal (department orientations and workshops) and informal (conversations in class and within advising relationships) ways. Suggestions for policies include articulating the department's practice for handling cases of plagiarism consistent with formal policy and to create a departmental document pertaining to authorship and intellectual property issues. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Indexing (details)


Subject
Higher education
Classification
0745: Higher education
Identifier / keyword
Education
Title
Is plagiarism an issue in graduate education? An examination of two graduate programs
Author
Usick, Brandy L.
Number of pages
233
Degree date
2004
School code
0303
Source
MAI 43/04M, Masters Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
978-0-612-97208-7
Advisor
Taylor, K. Lynn
University/institution
University of Manitoba (Canada)
University location
Canada -- Manitoba, CA
Degree
M.Ed.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
MQ97208
ProQuest document ID
305088192
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/docview/305088192/abstract