| dc.description.abstract | Our objective was to identify the understanding of theoretical aspects and the interpretation of practical situations that a sample of 3,623 graduate students (Population= 22,438) at the University of São Paulo (USP, Brazil) have regarding academic plagiarism. The survey, conducted in 2012 and 2013, used an electronic questionnaire containing 30 multiple choice questions developed from the literature concerning the concept and definition of plagiarism (U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services, 2005;Australian Government, 2007; United Kingdom, 2011), occurrence modality (Green, 2002; Pecorari, 2003; Gilmore et al.,2010; Roig, 2011), types of plagiarism (Harris, 2001; Loui, 2002;Maxwell, Curtis & Vardanega, 2008; Roig, 2011; Plagiarism.org, 2013), reasons for occurrence (Mccabe & Trevino, 1997; Harris, 2001; Mccabe, Butterfield & Trevino, 2006; Power, 2009; Curtis & Popal, 2011; Sauthier et al., 2011), standards and preventive actions adopted (Mccabe, Trevino & Butterfield, 2001; 2002; Pecorari, 2003; Mccabe & Pavela, 2005).We identified that the fact of respondents agreeing or disagreeing with the theoretical-conceptual characteristics of plagiarism did not make a difference in their capacity of correctly assessing practical situations characterizing plagiarism. Moreover, the agreement or disagreement responses regarding the concepts of plagiarism were observed not to differ among the respondents who had been trained to use references and citations. However, the same respondents correctly interpret practical situations characterizing plagiarism.Therefore, this study highlights the idea that there is a gap between theoretical and practical knowledge regarding plagiarism. We conclude that although the technical training related to the correct use of research sources is an important prerequisite in the capacity-building process, it is not enough for academic plagiarism to be prevented. | |
