International postgraduate students' experiences of plagiarism education in the UK: Student, tutor and expert perspectives

Abstract

The role of plagiarism education is being increasingly highlighted as a key area of learning good academic practice, but to date, few case studies have focused on international1 postgraduate students' experiences of plagiarism education. Therefore, this study examines the experiences of eight Asian and North African international students at the end of Master's degrees at a UK university. In addition, interviews with their postgraduate tutors were made in order to gather further insights. The students and tutors reported different understandings of the university's plagiarism definition and problems with the availability of plagiarism education. Students reported that support was limited and they had many concerns about plagiarism; tutors reported that they lacked time or thought instruction should be provided elsewhere. At the same time, the tutors recognised that they required students to use sources at a high level. Interviews were also made with a number of global plagiarism education experts, who called for a greater focus on learning rather than just following regulations, less outsourcing of the problem, and more awareness about the tendency to connect international students with plagiarism. The study emphasises the need for more attention to plagiarism definitions and to international students' experiences of plagiarism education through continuous pedagogical support during their study.