Plagiarism, Integrity, and Workplace Deviance: A Criterion Study

Abstract

Plagiarism is increasingly evident in business and academia. Though links between demographic, personality, and situational factors have been found, previous research has not used actual plagiarism behavior as a criterion variable. Previous research on academic dishonesty has consistently used self-report measures to establish prevalence of dishonest behavior. In this study we use actual plagiarism behavior to establish its prevalence, as well as relationships between integrity-related personal selection and workplace deviance measures. This research covers new ground in two respects: (a) That the academic dishonesty literature is subject to revision using criterion variables to avoid self bias and social desirability issues and (b) we establish the relationship between actual academic dishonesty and potential workplace deviance/white-collar crime.

Keywords:

• integrity
• plagiarism
• workplace deviance
• criterion

Notes

*0.05 level (one-tailed);

**0.01 level (one-tailed).

1. All International Personality Item Pool (IPIP, 2004) assessments can be accessed online at http://ipip.ori.org/ipip/. Please contact Daniel Martin ([email protected]) for the syllabus section on academic honesty and the informed consent form.