1. A subject-driven, case-based approach to plagiarism prevention education
Cara Bradley, University of Regina, cara.bradley@uregina.ca
Librarians with assigned subject liaison responsibilities are ideally positioned to
participate in plagiarism prevention education situated in the disciplines; indeed, the
inclusion of ethical information use in the major English-language information literacy
standards (SCONUL Seven Pillars, ACRL Information Literacy Competency
Standards, and the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework)
mandates that librarians assume an active role in educating students about
plagiarism and other information ethics topics.
As plagiarism is an important issue facing university instructors around the world, it is
unfortunate that plagiarism prevention education programs seem to fall short of
meeting student needs (Davis, 2012; Howard, 2008). Current educational
approaches tend to be homogenous, without recognition of the diverse issues and
questions arising across different academic disciplines. This presentation advocates
for the importance of subject-specific plagiarism education that situates integrity
discussions in the context of the discipline under study. It also promotes a case-
based approach that uses high-profile cases to emphasize the broader implications
of plagiarism. When combined with controversial and thought-provoking discussion
questions, this subject-specific and case-based approach results in highly relevant
and engaging discussion and reflection on complex plagiarism issues in the
disciplines.
Learning outcomes include an increased awareness of the diverse plagiarism issues
that arise across disciplines, recognition of the need to situate plagiarism discussions
in disciplinary contexts, and
appreciation of the value of using real cases as plagiarism prevention teaching tools.
Additionally, participants will gain an awareness of strengths and limitations of this
approach, reflect on the role of the librarian in offering this instruction, and hear tips
and resources for locating suitable cases.
References
Davis, M. (2012). International postgraduate students’ experiences of plagiarism
education in the UK: tudent, tutor and expert perspectives. International Journal for
Educational Integrity, 8(2). Retrieved from
http://www.ojs.unisa.edu.au/index.php/IJEI/article/view/807
Howard, R. M. (2008). Plagiarizing (from) graduate students. In R.M. Howard & A.E.
Robillard (Eds.), Pluralizing plagiarism: Identities, contexts, pedagogies (pp. 92–100).
Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook.