Plagiarism among local and Asian students in Australia

Plagiarism remains a hotly debated topic in academic circles, and even more so when the issue of cultural differences is raised. The current study sought to identify whether differences in prevalence of plagiarism existed between native Australian and Asian students in an Australian university. In total, 152 Australian students and 90 Asian international students completed a questionnaire that asked them if they had engaged in seven different forms of plagiarism. Contrary to what was hypothesised, Australian students were found, on average, to plagiarize more often than Asian students. There was no difference between the two groups in the number of people who reported plagiarizing at some time. Furthermore, there was no difference between the groups in the types of plagiarism engaged in. The findings bring into question many commonly held assumptions about the rates of plagiarism among Asian international students. It also highlights the need to provide interventions and support for all students to increase awareness and understanding of plagiarism.