Plagiarism in Higher Education

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EBS 3,3

Dealing with plagiarism in a complex information society
Debbie Wheeler
Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and

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David Anderson
Al Ain Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the modern information society on attitudes and approaches to the prevention of plagiarism and to examine a less punitive, more educative model. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken is a literature review of plagiarism in contemporary society followed by a case study of the education department of a tertiary-level college in the United Arab Emirates. Findings – The authors advocate a move towards a less punitive, more educative approach which takes into account all the relevant contextual factors. A call is made for a truly institutional response to a shared concern, with comprehensive and appropriate policies and guidelines which focus on prevention, the development of student skills, and the proactive involvement of all relevant stakeholders. Practical implications – This approach could inform the policies and practices of institutions who wish to systematically deal with plagiarism in other contemporary contexts. Originality/value – This paper could be of value to policy makers and administrators in tertiary institutions, particularly in English as a second language contexts, who recognise the limitations of traditional approaches to plagiarism and wish to establish more effective practices. Keywords Copyright law, Information society, Dishonesty, United Arab Emirates Paper type Literature review

Plagiarism in political discourse Politicians, more than anyone else, need to portray an image of integrity, honesty, and independent thought. Their election, their livelihood, and

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(2004), “Encouraging excellence: a departmental approach”, in Bowman, V. (Ed.), The Plagiarism Plague, Neal-Schuman, New York, NY, pp. 95-104. About the authors Debbie Wheeler is Chair of Education Programmes at Abu Dhabi Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE. Her professional interests include the promotion of best practice in assessment, pre- and in-service teacher development, and the documentation of policies to best support effective teaching and learning. She started her career as a primary teacher in Australia and has worked in the UAE for over 15 years. Debbie Wheeler is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [e-mail] David Anderson is an English Faculty Member at Al Ain Women’s College, Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE. He has worked in Spain, Kuwait, and the UAE for over 20 years as a Teacher, Teacher trainer, and Materials Developer. His main areas of interest include e-learning, the development of literacy skills, and the acquisition of vocabulary. Dealing with plagiarism 177 To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [e-mail] Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.