This paper presents analysis of qualitative data from a research project looking at staff perceptions of plagiarism at a post-1992 university. Twenty-six members of staff from departments and academic schools from across the university took part in open and semi-structured interviews. Analysis shows that variable definitions of plagiarism exist;…

INTEGRITY, an item analysis and statistical collusion detection (answer copying) online application, was reviewed. Features of the software and examples of program output are described in detail. INTEGRITY was found to be easily utilized with an abundance of well-organized documentation and built-in features designed to guide the user through the…

A statistical test for detecting answer copying on multiple-choice items is presented. The test is based on the exact null distribution of the number of random matches between two test takers under the assumption that the response process follows a known response model. The null distribution can easily be generalized to the family of distributions…

In the field of educational assessment, the "validity of assessment" can be defined as the degree to which evidence and theory support the interpretations of test scores that are entailed by proposed uses of the test. Many concerns have arisen over what is termed the "consequential basis" of validity, the intended and…

An index is proposed to detect cheating on multiple-choice examinations, and its use is evaluated through simulations. The proposed index is based on the compound binomial distribution. In total, 360 simulated data sets reflecting 12 different cheating (copying) situations were obtained and used for the study of the sensitivity of the index in…

Perspectives on plagiarism are offered by a university writing teacher, who also gives examples from students' papers. A number of plagiarists genuinely do not understand that they are plagiarizing; they do not understand the basics of footnoting or when it is required. While identifying a piece of writing as plagiarism may be easy, finding the…

Research on crime and delinquents is generally studying norm-violating behavior outside of its social context. Building on Hartshorne and May's use of situational tests, the authors sought to study the major contributing variables to norm-violating behavior in a laboratory setting. Two groups of subjects were used: (1) 116 male college students;…

Two achievement-related motives are considered: (1) the motive to achieve so as to obtain a sense of accomplishment; and (2) the motive to avoid failure in order to avoid the negative feelings that accompany failure. It is hypothesized that a student with high achievement motivation should seek the satisfaction of earning a good grade and should…

Undergraduates could earn a $10 bonus by performing above average on a free-recall task. Following a pretest, success messages were manipulated. During a subsequent test, subjects could cheat. Cheating was related to anticipated success in a curvilinear fashion with medium success yielding the most cheating. Cheating and expectations are…

Marketing students and faculty members completed a survey on their attitudes toward cheating behaviors. Forty-nine percent of the students stated that they had cheated at school. Results show an inverse relationship between the frequency of the occurrence of cheating and the person's judgment of the severity of the cheating behavior. (CH)

Enumerates 14 forms of academic dishonesty in higher education. Sees lack of confidence and parental/peer pressure as possible causes. Suggests preventive measures for faculty. Urges administrators to create an environment conducive to learning and excellence and protect against unfair competition for grades. (DMM)

Two experiments with college psychology classes examined answer copying during multiple-choice examinations under conditions of free and assigned seating. More answer copying occurred in the free seating situation, not accountable for in terms of the idea that answer copiers prefer to sit in the rear of the room. (Author/LMO)

Discusses a study to determine students' perceptions of their own and their peers' attitudes and behavior. Specifically gathered empirical data that will shed light on the manifestation of unethical behavior--cheating. (JOW)

The suggestions offered in this article are about what to do with students who cheat and to discuss in a deeper way than usually occurs the various possible consequences of cheating and to compare them with the advantages of cheating. (Author/RK)