Emotion, practice and plagiarism: exploring staff perspectives

This paper reports on preliminary results of a qualitative research project looking at staff perceptions of student plagiarism within a post-1992 UK University. Analysis of data from 26 open and semi-structured interviews with staff from a range of subject areas and departments across the University suggests that variability in the definition of plagiarism occurs, both in terms of activities that constitute plagiarism and its place in the broader category of cheating or academic misconduct. Personal definitions were informed by, amongst other things, the policy, emotional and professional experience of cases, and staff members' own previous educational experiences. For many staff there is a strong emotional aspect to dealing with plagiarism. The way in which these emotional aspects interact with notions of professionality and University regulations are complex and varied, leading to a variety of formal and informal strategies being employed.