Cybercheats

Abstract

This study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of 291 science students at a large university in the UK about plagiarism involving the Internet. Students from seven undergraduate classes, ranging from Year 1 to Year 3, completed a 12-item questionnaire anonymously, but in the presence of the investigator and a host lecturer. The results revealed that more than 50 percent of the students indicated an acceptance of using the Internet for academically dishonest activities. Males and first- and second-year students took a more liberal view about academic dishonesty than females and third-year students. Guilt and moral reasoning were significant factors in forming attitudes towards plagiarism. The alarming figures disclosed here are a call for preventative action to curtail students’ academically dishonest activities through the Internet.