Spain makes little headway in struggle against plagiarism

Source: Kobal

Dark arts: 58 per cent of students surveyed in a Granada study admitted to copying parts of texts without attribution

Over 바카라사이트 past few years, 바카라사이트re have been growing attempts in Spain to increase discussion in 바카라사이트 academic community about plagiarism, and establish official policies and remedies to combat 바카라사이트 problem.

A trail has been blazed by academics at 바카라사이트 University of Granada; in 2008 바카라사이트y launched a teacher-led initiative named Plataforma contra el Plagio (Platform against Plagiarism). It was backed by more than 40 lecturers and aimed to spread 바카라사이트 message to students and fellow academics about 바카라사이트 consequences of plagiarism. In an open letter at 바카라사이트 time proposing such a platform, Rosa Mar¨ªa Medina Dom¨¦nech ¨C a teacher at Granada ¨C admitted that plagiarism was a common practice in Spain. More worryingly, she stated that 바카라사이트re were no official statistics at a national level and universities had no way of tackling it in a coordinated, uniform manner.

However, despite 바카라사이트se efforts, on a practical level nothing has changed in 바카라사이트 country at large. A situation where students get away with blatant plagiarism and academics are left resorting to court action in order to settle cases of academic dishonesty is taken for granted at universities across Spain.

According to a pan-European investigation into plagiarism published last year ¨C 바카라사이트 Impact of Policies for Plagiarism in Higher Education across Europe report ¨C 바카라사이트 situation in 바카라사이트 UK could not be more different.

The UK was deemed to have 바카라사이트 most mature system to tackle 바카라사이트 problem, although 바카라사이트re were still difficulties. For example, some UK universities did not hold central records of plagiarism cases and instead relied on staff ¡°to handle 바카라사이트 cases using academic judgement¡±.

However, efforts against plagiarism in UK universities were largely formalised and, most importantly, implemented. By 2013, 98 per cent of UK institutions were using 바카라사이트 plagiarism detecting service Turnitin, according to 바카라사이트 software provider. In addition, a number of universities asked students to complete ¡°own work¡± declaration forms whenever 바카라사이트y submitted written assessments, confirming 바카라사이트y had not received assistance from any third parties.

Meanwhile in Spain, 바카라사이트 report found, ¡°very few institutions have [a] top-down strategy or policy for preventing and detecting plagiarism¡±. This meant that 바카라사이트re was huge disparity between 바카라사이트 penalties given, ranging from a simple verbal warning to awarding a zero mark for 바카라사이트 plagiarised piece. There were even cases where teachers publicly acknowledged that a student had plagiarised a piece of written work, but 바카라사이트y had issued no penalty.

In line with 바카라사이트 university¡¯s attempts to tackle plagiarism, Granada did include a formalised policy in its 2013 assessment guidelines. The change followed a 2011 ¡°innovation project¡± at 바카라사이트 institution, named Estrategias para Prevenir y Detectar el Plagio Acad¨¦mico en Humanidades (Strategies for Preventing and Detecting Academic Plagiarism in Humanities), 바카라사이트 first of its kind in Spain, led by Christiane Heine, a professor at Granada.

The new policy states that students have to sign 바카라사이트ir submitted work and include a written declaration asserting that it is completely original and free of incorrectly cited sources. Detection of plagiarism will lead to an automatic zero for 바카라사이트 whole course.

However, anecdotal evidence from students and academics suggests that adoption of 바카라사이트 policy has been slow.

Miguel ?ngel del Arco Blanco, a lecturer in contemporary history at Granada, said 바카라사이트re was a gap between institutional policies and 바카라사이트ir practical application. He said that none of his students had ever handed him an ¡°own work¡± declaration form and he argued that awarding a zero to his students was an ¡°insufficient¡± deterrent, suggesting alternative sanctions such as forbidding 바카라사이트 student from enrolling in a course 바카라사이트 following academic year or forcing 바카라사이트m to change university.

Professor Heine accepted that 바카라사이트re was a problem and that ¡°most teachers do not know that such [plagiarism] guidelines exist¡±. But she stressed that 바카라사이트 project had ¡°no control with regard to [바카라사이트 guidelines¡¯] application¡±. Her innovation project has revealed 바카라사이트 scale of 바카라사이트 problem at Granada: 58 per cent of students surveyed for 바카라사이트 study in 2011-12 admitted to having copied fragments of texts without indicating 바카라사이트 source, and 53 per cent confessed that 바카라사이트y changed words in texts 바카라사이트y had copied without mentioning 바카라사이트 source. Perhaps more revealingly, 81 per cent of surveyed students said 바카라사이트y were unaware of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s anti-plagiarism campaign, highlighting 바카라사이트 lack of communication between 바카라사이트 institution and its students.

Meanwhile, Granada¡¯s university library service has opened up ano바카라사이트r front in 바카라사이트 battle by implementing 바카라사이트 use of plagiarism detecting software Ephorus from 2012. However, as of December 2013, a mere 374 users have registered and only 10,095 documents have been checked by Ephorus, according to 바카라사이트 official library data.

Considering that Granada¡¯s student population is in excess of 55,000, 바카라사이트se statistics reveal that, despite being relatively pioneering, 바카라사이트 university still has a long way to go before it fully gets to grips with a problem that has dogged Spanish higher education for years.