New JiscPAS research reveals vast variations in penalties for plagiarism
The regulations that recommend penalties for plagiarism among higher education institutions (HEIs) vary substantially throughout the UK, according to new research published today by JiscPAS, the national plagiarism advisory service.
Although some institutions possess regulations with detailed penalty tariffs, almost a third of HEIs use guidelines that fail to advise academic staff which penalties are appropriate for particular cases.
The exact penalties available for plagiarism were also shown to vary from institution to institution. Typical academic penalties, such as failing the assessment or module, were widespread, but 19 institutions also allowed for the possibility of financial penalties (ranging from £100 - £1,000).
The report, which classifies the range and spread of penalties available for plagiarism, is the first in a series of upcoming studies that aim to assess national plagiarism policy and practice in higher education. Under the umbrella title of the Academic Misconduct Benchmarking Research (AMBeR) project, this first project set out to analyse the plagiarism penalty regulations from 153 higher education institutions.
Other findings of the new research include:
- Twenty-five different penalties were available for student plagiarism throughout the HE sector
- Expulsion is by far the most frequently cited penalty for plagiarism and is contained within the guidelines for nearly 99% of institutions
- Nearly 90% of regulations listed factors involved in assigning a penalty as being important, including the previous history of the student, their academic level and the perceived intention to deceive
The findings will be reported to Baroness Ruth Deech, The Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education, who suggested during her keynote address at the Second International Plagiarism Conference that research into penalties for plagiarism was urgently needed when she warned that vague penalty regulations may not stand up to legal scrutiny. The issue has since caught the attention of the student bodies, including the National Union of Students (NUS). Indeed, at the recent NUS conference in Blackpool delegates denounced some plagiarism regulations as ‘crude and unacceptable’.
Baroness Deech welcomed the publication of the report, saying: “This is an enormously valuable report which not only highlights the very wide variety of penalties for plagiarism in higher education but also provides a step towards greater consistency and fairness throughout the sector. Some gradation in penalties is necessary to reflect the differences between inadvertent and deliberate plagiarism and in this and in other respects higher education institutions need to look in the looking glass to ensure that all their students are being treated with transparency, justice and fairness.”
Will Murray the director of JiscPAS commented: “Our analysis of regulations forms a great foundation for the next stage in this work which will look at how these written policies are applied in practice.”
Dr Fiona Duggan, the head of advice and guidance for JiscPAS commented that the “project will not only inform national policy, but will also help UK HEIs achieve consistency transparency and fairness in their approaches to student plagiarism.”