Plagiarism: Understanding and Management

An epidemic of plagiarism is sweeping the world. A study carried out in the US suggested that 80% of college students admit to cheating at least once (Ashworth et al 1997). Alternative evidence from an American education and software company, Plagiarism.org, reported that 36% of undergraduates plagiarise written material and that 90% of students believe that cheaters are never caught or disciplined (Plagiarism.org 2005). Closer to home, research carried out in the UK by Clare (1996) suggested that 50% of students copy work and invent data. More recently the Plagiarism Advisory Service, based at Northumbria University, reported that 25% of students plagiarise, while lecturers only detect plagiarism 3% of the time (Plagiarism Advisory Service 2006).