Motivations, definitions,
and the “plagiarism trap”:
Perceptions of academic integrity across cultures
Amanda B. Click
Doctoral Fellow
School of Information & Library Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Claire Walker
Research & Instruction Librarian
Lila D. Bunch Library
Belmont University
Survey Demographics
AUC
• 130 responses
• 36% male, 64% female
• Most common majors:
undeclared, business
administration,
political science,
integrated marketing
communication
Belmont
• 89 responses
• 36% male, 64 %
female
• Most common
majors:
entertainment and
music business,
health
sciences/nursing,
social sciences
Defining Academic Integrity
AUC
Belmont
• No cheating
• Originality of work
• Proper use of others’ • No cheating
work
• Proper use of others’
• Honesty
work
Perceptions of AI on Campus
• I understand the concept of academic
integrity.
• I think that Belmont/AUC students in general
are ethical students.
• I believe that my professors encourage
ethical behavior.
• During my time at Belmont/AUC, I have been
taught about academic integrity.
Reporting Classmates
• I would report a classmate to the Honor
Court/Academic Integrity Committee for
cheating.
• I would report a classmate to the Honor
Court/Academic Integrity Committee for
plagiarizing.
• I would I would report a classmate to the
professor for cheating.
• I would I would report a classmate to the
professor for plagiarizing.
Learning about AI
AUC
• Professors
• Freshman Year
Experience
• Specific classes
• Family
• High school
Belmont
•
•
•
•
•
Professors
Specific classes
Syllabus/Honor Code
High school
Welcome
Week/Towering
Traditions
Frequency of Dishonest Behaviors
Often
Rarely
Never
Totals
Often
Rarely
Never
Totals
AUC students
plagiarize…
AUC students I plagiarize… I cheat…
cheat…
51%
42%
7%
100.0%
73%
22%
5%
100%
3%
19%
78%
100%
BU students
plagiarize…
BU students
cheat…
I plagiarize… I cheat…
27%
61%
12%
100.0%
47%
51%
2%
100%
5%
3%
92%
100%
5%
23%
72%
100%
7%
11%
82%
100%
Reasons for Dishonest Behaviors
Similarities:
•
•
•
•
Taking the easy way out
Laziness
Not enough time
Want better grades
Reasons for Dishonest Behaviors
Differences:
• Culturally accepted
• Blaming professors
• Pressure (aside from grades)
• Lack of consequences
Themes/Theories
• Confusion about academic integrity concepts
and rules
• Collectivist nature of culture
• Technology supported dishonesty
• Time constraints
• Creativity as motivation
Librarians Promoting AI
• Teach students to USE information properly,
not just FIND it
• Offer workshops on citation, time
management, etc.
• Promote a unified perspective on appropriate
scholarly behavior
• Work with faculty to develop better
assignments
• Think about academic integrity instruction as
discipline-specific
Thank you!
Questions? Comments?
Claire Walker
claire.walker@belmont.edu
Amanda Click
aclick@live.unc.edu