Organising research on university student plagiarism: a process approach

Abstract

This article examines the management of the seemingly ubiquitous problem of plagiarism by students in higher education. An integrated review of the conceptual and empirical literature to date is undertaken in the pursuit of two objectives. First, to provide structure to the scattered knowledge about the topic, which is achieved by developing a process framework of plagiarism management. Second, to identify, group and locate the determinants of each of the major events of the plagiarism management process: the occurrence of a plagiarism instance, its detection and the subsequent actions undertaken in response. Moreover, the framework incorporates the roles of the different actors involved (students, professors and the university) and the importance of the cultural, legal and technological context in which the instances of plagiarism may take place. This process approach aids in the identification of more integrated avenues for further research.

Keywords:

• Plagiarism
• university education
• process
• integrative review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Maria del Mar Pamies is Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Management at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Her doctoral thesis (for which she was awarded the best Doctorate Thesis award by the URV) and research interests focus on consumer behavior in situations of waiting in services. She is currently head of the research group FHOM (Human Factors, Organisations and Markets). Mar has been a key member in the development of the plagiarism policy of the URV. https://scholar.google.es/citations?hl=ca&user=5fJxDK8AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Mireia Valverde is Full Professor of Human Resource Management in the Department of Business Management at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Her main research interests lie in the study of the roles of different actors involved in implementing organizational policies, particularly with regards to managing people. She is regularly involved in teaching innovation projects such as the provision of doctoral supervisory training programs and the development of plagiarism avoidance initiatives. https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=_7yZAkEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

Christine Cross is Head of Department, Work & Employment Studies at the University of Limerick. Her research and publication interests include the broad area of diversity, including women's labour force participation, the gender pay gap and the workforce experiences of immigrants. Her work is published in leading international journals. Christine's work on enhancing student learning includes her role as Chair of the Kemmy Business School Teaching and Learning Committee. https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=UmmxVgUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate