International Graduate Students’ Perspectives on Plagiarism in Academic Writing

1. International Graduate Students’ Perspectives
on Plagiarism in Academic
Writing
Janet Kesterson Isbell, Tennessee Technological University
Jayati Chaudhuri, California State University, Los Angeles
Deborah L. Schaeffer, California State University, Los Angeles
The Twelfth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry
May 21, 2016

2. o New academic expectations for research and academic writing
o Different cultural notions
o Plagiarism is exhibited in a variety of fashions, both tangibly and intangibly.
o International students are at least “twice as likely as domestic students” to exhibit a lack
of understanding

3. o Differences between paraphrasing, summarizing, references, citations
o Plagiarism lines blur for students in digital age
o Lack of adquate training for international graudate students
o Role of faculty and academic librarians

4. o A critical multi-case study between two public academic institutions
o Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN
o California State University, Los Angeles
o To explore how international students enrolled in U. S. universities perceive
and understand the concept of plagiarism
o What information, interactions, and experiences have shaped international
students’ thinking about plagiarism?

5. o Interviewed 6 international students from various cultures + 2 pilot
interviews
o From 5 different countries
o Used a form of constant comparison to analyze the data—careful close
reading of the transcripts, coding the data, reducing the codes to categories,
and developing themes from those categories to explain the story of the data

6. Understanding of Plagiarism
o At least two participants took the definition further, saying that plagiarism
included any cheating on academic work, such as using someone else’s
answers on a test that has your name on it.
o Most participants were able to articulate a definition of plagiarism that is
consistent with our own thinking of plagiarism as . . .

7. Consequences of Plagiarism
o Recognized consequences as grade reduction, failure, or dismissal
o All were aware of the existence of a university policy, but few had read it

8. Experiences prior to enrolling in U.S. institution
shaped thinking…
o Cultural differences
o Copying and pasting expected
o In religious training
o In school work prior to college

9. Experiences at U.S. institutions shaped thinking…
o Limited or no training/information at the university
o Mentioned briefly in orientation or writing seminars or workshops (not all
had this type of training)
o Mentioned briefly in class (not all; some never)
o Required research training
 Lengthy modules
 Not read; took shortcuts

10. Barriers/Consequences
 Language barrier
o Difficulty of thinking in two languages
o Rephrasing in different language time consuming
o Using synonyms sometimes can be problematic
o Observed some intentional misconduct
 Threat of penalty
o Grade reduction
o Lawsuit
o Dismissal

11. Interactions with university faculty and staff shaped
thinking…
o Some professors responded only when there was a problem
o Some professors never mentioned plagiarism at all
o Help with writing didn’t necessarily include training to avoid plagiarism
o Students learned there was a desired percentage for Turnitin review

12. Interactions with and observations of peers shaped
thinking…
o New students lacked awareness
o Peers informed each other at graduate level
o Self-taught in order to succeed
o Desire to be professional
o Bought software to avoid plagiarism

13. Ways to reduce plagiarism among international
students…
Participants’ suggestions for change
o More training
o More information in each class rather than just at the beginning of experience
o Shorter policies and training documents
o Examples
o Peer training
o Second chances
o Stiffer admission policies

14. o The onus belongs to the university and the faculty
o Lack of understanding
o Academic work in a second language is contributing to the problem
o Result in frustration, stress, and misunderstanding
o Make plagiarism seem the only viable alternative

15. o Faculty attitudes
o Proper text borrowing and sourcing should be discussed more often
o Ongoing academic discussion
o Training
o Increased understanding
o Shift in thinking from judicial and penal policies and decisions to developmental
o Mentoring policies and decisions

16. References
Abasi, A. R., Akbari, N., & Graves, B. (2006). Discourse appropriation, construction of identities, and the complex issue
of plagiarism: ESL students writing in graduate school. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15, 102-117.
doi:10.1016/j.jslw.2006.05001
Amsberry, D. (2009) Deconstructing plagiarism: International students and textual borrowing practices. The Reference
Librarian, 51, 31-44. doi:10.1080/02763870903362183
Chandrasoma, R., Thompson, C., & Pennycook, A. (2004). Beyond plagiarism: Transgressive and nontransgressive
intertextuality. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 3, 171–193. Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hlie20#.VvVdeeIgv0M
Doss, D. A. , Henley, R. , Gokaraju, B. , McElreath, D. , Lackey, H. , Hong, Q., & Miller, L. (2016). Assessing domestic
vs. international student perceptions and attitudes of plagiarism. Journal of International Students, 6, 542-565.
Retrieved from http://jistudents.org/

17. References
Gunnarsson, J. , Kulesza, W. J., & Pettersson, A. (2014). Teaching international students how to avoid plagiarism:
Librarians and faculty in collaboration. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40, 413-417.
doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.04.006
Madray, A. (2013). Non-Western students in Western universities: Bridging the plagiarism divide. In L. Chow, C.
Fuchs, J. Kucsma, C. N. Wajda, S. Sajonas, & N. T. Bowdoin,(Eds.). The global librarian. (pp. 159-170). New
York, NY: Metropolitan New York Library Council/New York Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Association of
College and Research Libraries.
Pecorari, D. (2001) Plagiarism and international students: How the English-speaking university responds. In A.
Hirvels & D. D. Belcher (Eds). Linking literacies: Perspectives on l2 reading-writing connections, (pp. 229-245).
Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.