Background: Because plagiarism is such a common form of academic dishonesty, many instructors are seeking ways to effectively teach students to avoid plagiarism. Objective: The current study tested the effectiveness of a 3-pronged intervention to teach students in an upper-level psychology course to better understand plagiarism. Method: The…

To identify where ethics is presented to undergraduate psychology students, this study reviewed a national sample of 706 syllabi for required mandatory psychology courses. The results indicated that 6 syllabi were designated as ethics courses and 65 syllabi did not mention ethics at all. Even though 641 syllabi mentioned ethics, the most frequent…

Research has shown that plagiarism is on the increase in higher education. Some state that this is due to poor knowledge rather than intentional cheating. Other researchers explain that plagiarism is on the rise due to increased competitiveness in college and easy access to work that has already been completed. In this study, we show how a 2-hr…

Teaching the general psychology course provides instructors with the opportunity to invite students to explore the dynamics of behavior and mental processes through the lens of theory and research. Three innovative writing assignments were developed to teach students to think like a psychologist, operationalized as enhancing critical thinking,…

This study examined instructor views of what constitutes plagiarism. The authors collected questionnaire data from 158 participants recruited through three teaching-related electronic listservs. Results showed that most participants agreed that behaviors that claim credit for someone else's work constituted plagiarism. Instructors differed in…

This study examined the effect of information source on students' estimates of academic dishonesty. Undergraduates read an estimate of the incidence of academic dishonesty. Half of the participants were told that the source was a professor's study and the other half heard that the source was a student's study. Participants then estimated the…

To address the issue of plagiarism, students in two undergraduate Research Methods and Analysis courses conducted, analyzed, and wrote up original research on the topic of plagiarism. Students in an otherwise identical course completed the same assignments but examined a different research topic. At the start and end of the semester, all students…

This study evaluated how effective an online academic integrity module was at reducing the occurrence of plagiarism in a written assignment for a university course. In a preintervention comparison group, plagiarism was detected in 25.8% of papers submitted, compared with only 6.5% in the group that completed the academic integrity module. The…

To understand undergraduate perceptions of academic dishonesty and honor codes, our participants estimated the likelihood that they, their friends, and the average college student would plagiarize or cheat on tests. Undergraduates reported that the average college student was most likely to cheat, their friends would be less likely to cheat, and…

I evaluated a brief homework assignment designed to reduce citation problems in research-based term papers. Students in 2 developmental psychology classes received a brief presentation and handout defining plagiarism with tips on how to cite sources to avoid plagiarizing. In addition, students in 1 class completed 2 brief homework assignments in…

Reports the results of two experiments which evaluated the effectiveness of the cloze test as a method for detecting plagiarism. In both studies, the cloze performance of students was significantly better in nonplagiarizing than plagiarizing situations. Concludes that when used with caution, the cloze procedure appears to be potentially helpful in…

Describes an experiment used with undergraduate students to educate students about plagiarism and paraphrasing techniques. Discusses the procedure used for the experiment as well as results from the experiment and a postexperiement questionnaire. (CMK)

Discusses results of a questionnaire asking students' opinions and experiences concerning academic cheating. Examines the prevalence, situational and dispositional determinants, and techniques of cheating. Concludes that pressures for good grades, student stress, ineffective deterrents, condoning teachers, and an increasing lack of academic…

Maintains that cheating is a major concern on college campuses. Presents data from 2,153 upper-division undergraduate students on the frequency of cheating, reasons for cheating, and influence of penalties on cheating. Offers a model that develops an internalized code of ethics to counteract academic dishonesty. (CFR)