Measures To Combat Plagiarism In Learning Processes

This study focuses on determining the perception of university students about possible strategies to eliminate plagiarism from their academic work. A qualitative, interpretative and inductive methodology based on the answer to an open question aimed at determining how plagiarism can be avoided, included in the Attributes Questionnaire for the Detection of Coincidences in Academic Work (CUDECO). The categories that emerge from the discourse of the respondents focus on: (a) information; normally regarding the citation process, (b) training; both the citation process and the preparation of the works requested (c) supervision; by the teaching staff and (d) sanctioning measures; both coercive and punitive. The main ways to combat plagiarism, according to the student body, focus on the definition of what is to be understood by academic plagiarism and on informative measures (usually with respect to the citation process), formative measures (both by the teachers and the faculty members and the institution itself), of a digital nature (through detection tools), of supervision by the teaching staff (raising awareness of the importance of quoting correctly, producing greater involvement and greater interest in both the type of work that is requested and the times assigned as per the nature of the evaluations that are carried out) but also coercive and punitive. There are some cases where there is a need to start with this process beforehand, in courses prior to university studies, and also cases considered to be somewhat inevitable, difficult to solve. In conclusion, reflecting on these categories and trying to combat them could reduce plagiarism in universities.