Why and Who Agree on Copy-and-Paste? Taiwan College Students’ Perceptions of Cyber-Plagiarism
Abstract: Plagiarism is not a new phenomenon among student population but their attitudes toward plagiarism may have been changed in the digital age today. Previous studies have indicated that understanding students’ perceptions of plagiarism is essential in order to prevent it; however, most of the research was mainly conducted in Western context and limited to student perceptions of traditional plagiarism. Thus, this study aims to investigate 634 Taiwanese undergraduate students’ perceptions of cyber-plagiarism from an Eastern context by conducting a questionnaire. The results indicate that the ease of copy-and-paste of online resources may mainly increase students’ plagiarism especially when they are under pressure of coursework. Furthermore, the results reveal that the college students’ grade levels, gender, and disciplines are important factors influencing their perceptions of cyber-plagiarism. Finally, the results of the study suggest that teachers and researchers should pay attention to understand students’ misinterpretation about plagiarism in order to prevent this academic misconduct.