Placing the Library at the Heart of Plagiarism Prevention: The University of Bradford Experience

Abstract

Plagiarism is a vexing issue for Higher Education, affecting student transition, retention, and attainment. This article reports on two initiatives from the University of Bradford library aimed at reducing student plagiarism. The first initiative is an intensive course for students who have contravened plagiarism regulations. The second course introduces new students to the concepts surrounding plagiarism with the aim to prevent plagiarism breaches. As the Plagiarism Avoidance for New Students course was introduced there has been a significant drop in students referred to the disciplinary program. This article discusses the background to both courses and the challenges of implementation.

KEYWORDS:

• academic liason
• academic libraries
• good academic practice
• information literacy
• plagiarism prevention

Acknowledgments

© Sarah George, Anne Costigan, and Maria O’Hara

Notes

1. Significant difference at the p < 0.01 level tested with chi-squared test.

2. For students in the first year of study, significance is Chi-squared 46.7182, p-value 0.000.