Addressing student plagiarism from the library learning commons
| Published date | 12 March 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2017-0105 |
| Pages | 203-214 |
| Date | 12 March 2018 |
| Author | Stephanie Bell |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Addressing student plagiarism
from the library learning commons
Stephanie Bell
Writing Department, York University, Toronto, Canada
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to conceptualizeprincipled plagiarism education in library learning
commons.
Design/methodology/approach –The synthesis of literature from library and information science,
writing studies, and study skillsilluminates academic cultures of speech reporting, causes of undergraduate
student cheating behaviors and blunders in source use and attribution, and recommended best teaching
practices.
Findings –Library learning commons are particularly well positioned to address student plagiarism as
student-centric spaces with the potentialto foster prosocial behaviors among students. Learning commons’
partner literaturesreveal understandings of academic citation practicesas multiple and fluid, tacit, ideological
and skillful information literacies. Best practices for plagiarism education are developmental approaches
aimed at socializing students into academic cultures of knowledge construction. These approaches to
plagiarism education maypreclude teaching academic integrity policy or participating in the enforcementof
those codesof conduct.
Research limitations/implications –No survey of programs or their effectiveness was done for this
paper. Theeffectiveness of the approach conceptualizedhere merits further study.
Originality/value –Contributions to fostering academic integrity support student success and the
integrity of degrees and institutional reputation more broadly. This paper provides a model for
interdisciplinarylearning commons’research.
Keywords Pedagogy, Information literacy, Plagiarism, Learning commons, Academic integrity,
Citation
Paper type Conceptual paper
Introduction
As an aspect of academic integrity,plagiarism is an important issue to students, faculty and
administrators across the university. The International Center for Academic Integrity
defines plagiarismas a breach of academic integrity that occurs when someone:
uses words, ideas or work products;
attributable to another identifiable person or source;
without attributing the work to the source from which it was obtained;
in a situation in which there is a legitimate expectation of original authorship; and
to obtain some benefit, credit or gain which need not be monetary (International
Center for Academic Integrity, 2016).
In the context of undergraduate student work, plagiarism is an academic “crime”that
involves the use of attributablewords or ideas without attribution to obtain credit or inflated
credit for course assignments. As bastions of the university’s information reservoirs,
librarians are well positioned to foster among undergraduates the value systems and
information literacies required for research and writing practices that have academic
Addressing
student
plagiarism
203
Received20 October 2017
Revised7 December 2017
Accepted30 December 2017
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.119 No. 3/4, 2018
pp. 203-214
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2017-0105
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2398-5348.htm
To continue reading
Request your trial