Prevention and detection of plagiarism in higher education: Paper mills, online assessments and AI
Cortinhas, C; Deak, S
Date: 1 November 2023
Book chapter
Publisher
The Economics Network
Publisher DOI
Abstract
Charles Caleb Colton once observed that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’.
Whilst this may be apt in many instances, there is a point in the intellectual space
where imitation is more akin to theft. This is certainly the case in the higher
education sector where, in the internet age, the increasing incidence of ...
Charles Caleb Colton once observed that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’.
Whilst this may be apt in many instances, there is a point in the intellectual space
where imitation is more akin to theft. This is certainly the case in the higher
education sector where, in the internet age, the increasing incidence of student
plagiarism has become an ever-increasing cause of concern.
Plagiarism may be defined as the use of another person’s words and/or ideas
without acknowledging that the ideas and/or words belong to someone else for
someone’s own benefit. It is not a new phenomenon, but there is little doubt that it
is a growing problem that lecturers and universities need to address systematically
if the underlying causes, rather than the symptoms, are to be addressed.
The problem is not limited to Economics but given that Economic departments
tend to have a significantly higher number of students than other degrees, above
average class sizes and a significant proportion of international students, it is
arguably more likely to be of especial relevance to economics academics.
At the heart of the problem is not only the increasing availability of easily accessible
electronic resources, whereupon it has become so much easier for students to ‘cut
and paste’ slabs of unedited text but it has become much easier to order a
complete, bespoke piece of work from one of the many available online providers.
This can sometimes lead to assignments being submitted that are inadequately
referenced, highly unfocused or, worse still, largely or entirely someone else’s work.
The recent developments in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI) are likely
to exacerbate the problem.
This chapter considers the various strategies currently being employed to stamp out
plagiarism. These include the use of ‘honour codes’ that incorporate punitive
systems to discredit plagiarists and the various proprietary and freeware packages
available for the electronic detection of plagiarism. More importantly it discusses
some practical prevention strategies that includes designing and implementing
types of assessments that make plagiarism more difficult to take place.
The discussion will concentrate, first of all, on the defining characteristics of
plagiarism and how it manifests itself in the current university environment. This is
followed by a brief discussion on the factors deemed to be responsible for
plagiarism, and the mechanisms subsequently employed by various institutions to
deal with its increasing incidence. The discussion concludes by arguing for an
integrated approach founded upon a commitment to assessment regimes that
reward critical analysis rather than content regurgitation, something that is
particularly relevant in the context of AI.
08/11/2023, 14:21 Prevention and Detection of Plagiarism in Higher Education: Paper Mills, Online Assessments and AI
https://economicsnetwork.ac.uk/handbook/plagiarism_2023 3/30
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To proceed down this path, it is further argued that assessment items need to be
designed in such a way as to present students with authentic learning
environments: that is, settings for assessment that engage students with real and
relevant tasks, with palpable and practical learning outcomes. Of all disciplines,
economics is one that readily lends itself to this approach.
The main aim of the discussion is, therefore, to demonstrate that, while introducing
measures to improve deterrence and detection of plagiarism is important, this is
essentially a reactionary approach. It is unlikely to yield lasting benefits and might
not be efficient to stamp out the most serious types of plagiarism. It is argued that
the source of the problem is systemic, and that the focus needs to be
on prevention of plagiarism through the use of innovative and engaging
assessment. To this end, it is further posited that information and communications
technologies (ICTs) can be of invaluable assistance – the very technologies that have
led to the burgeoning student plagiarism problem in the first place.
Economics
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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