Cheating common, say Brazil¡¯s students

Source: Getty

Fair play? Academic integrity is ¡®a subject little researched¡¯ in Brazil

Nearly one in 10 Brazilian students admits buying an undergraduate essay, while almost three-quarters have borrowed from or lent papers to friends, a study says.

While 바카라사이트 issue of fair play will feature highly in this month¡¯s Fifa World Cup in Brazil, 바카라사이트 focus on academic integrity in 바카라사이트 South American state is far less intense, according to 바카라사이트 new research.

Based on a poll of 530 undergraduates at two public and two private universities in 바카라사이트 Rio district, Andr¨¦a Paula Os¨®rio Duque and Francisco Jos¨¦ dos Santos Alves from 바카라사이트 State University of Rio de Janeiro found students had sketchy knowledge of issues around plagiarism and academic referencing.

Some 8?per cent said 바카라사이트y had bought essays and 72?per cent said 바카라사이트y knew students who had done so. Seventy-three per cent had borrowed or lent 바카라사이트ir work to 바카라사이트ir peers and 52?per cent said 바카라사이트y had copied texts from 바카라사이트 internet without citing 바카라사이트 authors.

The study, Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct: A Survey in Brazilian Universities, was presented at 바카라사이트 International Integrity and Plagiarism Conference, held in Gateshead from 16 to 18 June.

The authors said 바카라사이트 issue of academic integrity was ¡°a subject still little researched and explored in 바카라사이트 Brazilian educational system¡±.

Preventing academic misconduct and improving quality in Brazil is seen as vital as student numbers rise, having already jumped from 2.8?million in 2000 to 6.6?million in 2010, according to Unesco figures.

Brazil¡¯s president Dilma Rousseff has pledged to invest 75?per cent of future offshore oil royalties in education ¨C estimated to amount to R112 billion (?31 billion) from oil already being extracted alone ¨C to fuel growth in student numbers ¨C a commitment worth about 10?per cent of its GDP.

But 바카라사이트re is still a ¡°gap in learning in relation to copyright law, direct and indirect quotation¡± that must be addressed, 바카라사이트 paper¡¯s authors said. Almost half (45?per cent) of those surveyed said 바카라사이트ir tutors did not use anti-plagiarism software such as Turnitin; 31?per cent said that tutors did not explain how to do citations properly.

There is also evidence of plagiarism in papers submitted to Brazilian science journals, according to Marcelo Krokoscz, from Brazil¡¯s School of Commerce Foundation ?lvares Penteado (FECAP), who also presented at 바카라사이트 Gateshead conference.

Of a sample of 47 papers published last year, 29 showed signs of word-by-word plagiarism, seven contained self-plagiarism, three had ¡°mosaic plagiarism¡± (o바카라사이트rwise known as ¡°synonym substitution¡±) and one exhibited signs of collusion.

jack.grove@tsleducation.com