A tutorial on plagiarism and collusion

This report describes a tutorial on plagiarism and collusion that has been used successfully in Computer Science and Psychology. Students analyse ten different scenarios for acceptable practice and, if unacceptable, they decide whether plagiarism or collusion has taken place. The questionnaire and subsequent discussion take place in an environment in which issues around plagiarism and collusion can be discussed openly. It has been found that students actively participate because they can relate to the different situations in which they might find themselves. Lecturers have the opportunity to pick up on points raised in the questionnaire and by the students. The questionnaire was originally designed to investigate staff and student perceptions of plagiarism and collusion (Barrett and Cox, 2005) and an amended version has continued to be useful in raising students’ awareness of plagiarism and collusion.