AUSTRALIA: Plagiarism among foreign students

Plagiarism is an issue facing many universities. It is of particular concern in Australia, given the large number of overseas students studying in the country or offshore on Australian programmes such as in China and India, writes Helen Song-Turner of the School of Business, University of Ballarat, in the latest issue of Australian Universities Review. Students from various countries were interviewed to identify their views on plagiarism in a study that unearthed several reasons why students tend to plagiarise, including challenges of language, skill and respect for 'the foreign expert'. What emerges, Song-Turner reveals, "is a complex and at times confusing web of perceptions and attitudes towards plagiarism. These pose a significant set of challenges for foreign universities developing and delivering programmes in a range of markets, particularly in locations such as Australia, where the importance and value of attracting, supporting - and, indeed, understanding - foreign students, has tended to underpin many university marketing efforts". Hers and other articles, including a critique on university rankings, are available on the Australian Universities Review site.

The following is a selection of some other articles published in Volume 50, number 2, 2008 of the Australian Universities Review:

* "Research Grant Mania" by Jeffrey Goldsworthy. Commonwealth funding formulae have caused Australian universities to become obsessed with maximising external research funding. This may be productive in disciplines that require large amounts of research funding, but it can have many negative effects in other disciplines.

* "High Society - Are our social sciences as relevant to government as they might be?" by Gary Wickham. If the social sciences are to hold the serious attention of the government of any modern Western nation, including Australia's, they cannot continue to fall prey to the tendency to criticise ceaselessly such government.

* "Methodology, Meaning and Usefulness of Rankings" by Ross Williams. University rankings are having a profound effect on both higher education systems and individual universities. Williams investigates the effects and desirable characteristics of a good ranking methodology, and takes a critical look at where Australian universities rank internationally.

Volume 50, number 2, 2008: Australian Universities Review