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Student-Centered Approach to Plagiarism

Thanks to generative AI, higher education is feeling a seismic shift in how we think about originality, attribution, and plagiarism. This is not the first time this has happened; however, during the rise of the internet in the 1990s, the conversation on academic integrity became so intense and so frenetic that Tricia Bertram Gallant (2008) declared it a “moral panic.”
We now see a similar shift with generative AI, with similar levels of concern, but the underlying reasons for plagiarism remain the same, regardless of how much technology changes. Following best practices may help reduce all kinds of plagiarism, including AI-related plagiarism. The larger discussion below is designed to help instructors better formulate their own philosophy and practices regarding plagiarism.

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What plagiarism is (and isn’t)

Defining plagiarism might be the hardest part of teaching it. Is it theft? A kind of cheating? Or something entirely different?

Let’s start with what it isn’t:

  • Plagiarism isn’t the same everywhere. Plagiarism is very much an issue of genre because what is one discipline’s plagiarism might just be another’s template. Think of the copying rules of literature vs. law, for instance, or coding’s complicated relationship with GitHub. It can also be a cultural issue. In Southeast Asia, what we call “patchwriting” here is a common pedagogical tool for learning English (Khatayut, 2022). Since the rules can change depending on the situation, ask yourself: “What values inform working with ideas and texts in my discipline, and how can I explicitly teach those values to my students?”
  • Plagiarism isn’t (necessarily) theft. Yes, intellectual property and copyright is important in many areas, but relying on a theft narrative in the classroom is more confusing than it is helpful. This is especially true when discussing self-plagiarism, patchwriting, or using Gen AI because these actions don’t fit
    into a theft model.
  • Plagiarism isn’t (always) cheating. Unlike obvious actions of cheating like hiring a proxy or taking in unauthorized notes into an exam, studies have repeatedly shown that plagiarism is more often a case of a good-faith effort involving wrong execution, lack of understanding of citation rules, or ignorance.

So, what is plagiarism if it’s not theft, or cheating, or inherently immoral?

First, let’s reframe the discussion in terms of labor rather than ethics to make it apply to the classroom. Humans learn by doing things, and they must do the work of learning to grow and develop. Cheating is what we do when we bypass the work of learning.

Next, academic plagiarism is easier to define by what it does: it stymies learning, compromises the academic process of disseminating knowledge, and prevents others from being honored for their academic contributions, all of which lie at the heart of the university’s mission.

To draw attention to these differences, TLI uses a simplified definition of plagiarism, courtesy of Dr. Chris Kilgore, to start conversations with students: plagiarism is not telling the truth about who did the work.

We also recommend an analogy for classroom discussion: plagiarism is the opposite of learning (cf. Bertram Gallant 2008, p. 6).
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How to talk to students about plagiarism

When we approach our students with a deficit mindset, they may very well live up to our expectations. If our syllabi, course policies, and assignments treat students like potential offenders, that can make writing feel like a trap, research a hazard, and the instructor untrustworthy (Eisner and Vicinus, 2008).

For that reason, it’s helpful to consider how you explain your commitment to academic integrity in your syllabus: what is the overall tone? Do you give dire warnings about punishment, or empower them to be robust, ethical scholars?

Here are some suggestions:

  1. Discuss plagiarism-as-fraud and plagiarism-as-literacy separately (Howard, 2000). When we conflate these two ideas, it confuses the ethical logic behind why plagiarism is bad. While most students implicitly
    understand that it’s wrong to misrepresent their work in return for a grade; the ethics of attribution only make sense if you are an insider to academic culture, which makes understanding them a matter of cultural literacy.
  2. The opposite of plagiarism is learning (cf. Bertram Gallant 2008, p. 6). Students who feel supported and in control of their learning will generally feel less of the panic, confusion, or disaffection that could lead
    to intentional plagiarism. Those who are thoroughly comfortable with the rules of attribution and feel confident in their own ideas will make fewer mistakes that lead to unintentional problems.
  3. Teach students why attribution is good, not just that “plagiarism is bad.” Give students an ethical investment in doing the right thing. Attribution celebrates and acknowledges everyone’s contribution and creates a
    conceptual web of knowledge for others to follow. Consider assignments that make this web more visible:

    • Mairi Cowan’s footnote “treasure hunt” (Eaton 2021, p. 90)
    • A “degrees of separation” game between two sources
    • Create situations in which students can cite each other’s ideas, as scholars do.
    • Use examples that make sense to students (cf. Bertram Gallant, 2008). For instance, TikTokers have a system of
      stitching and tagging to create larger conversations.
  4. Make learning about process, not just the product (Eaton 2021, p. 88). When education focuses only on the finished project, it looks no different from any other exchange economy. Students also learn more effectively when we evaluate their process in addition to their final product.
  5. Here are some ways to offer that feedback:
    • Ungraded self-reflection memos
    • In-class discussion of their work processes
    • Peer review and assessments
    • Credit/no credit draft assignments with limited feedback
    • Alternative assessment methods like specifications grading

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What can I do to reduce plagiarism?

Many of the reasons that make an otherwise ethical student intentionally plagiarize. Things like pressure from home or worries about scholarships, for instance, are out of an instructor’s control. But we can design assessments that maximize benefits for students while minimizing factors that might lead an otherwise honest student to resort to plagiarism: panic, frustration, confusion, and disengagement.
In the words of the AI scholar Leon Furze, instead of worrying about assessment security, we can focus on assessment
validity (Furze, 2025).
Try evidence-based practices to target design issues that cause confusion and stress, using the acronym

TACO: making assessments Transparent, Accessible,
Connected and Original.

T: Transparency

Clear instructions and the learning goals prevent confusion and frustration:

  • Clearly explain the purpose and learning objectives for each assignment.
  • Stress the importance of the work process by making it part of their assessment (Eaton, 2021, p. 88; Eaton, Guglielmin, and Otoo, 2017).
  • Provide the rubric/criteria in advance and offer examples of finished work.

A: Accessibility

Lowering the stress of getting started helps reduce procrastination:

  • Scaffold assignments off previous work so that students can lean on their previous knowledge.
  • Have students create their own workflow, with due dates.
  • Combat short memories and time loss with regular reminders.
    • The universal calendar and the Messages function in Canvas lets you set up frequent and visible reminders.
    • Try a “reminder slide” on the screen before class with upcoming due dates and reminders.
    • You can pair up students to be “accountability buddies” or assign short “progress update” posts to reflect on their progress.
  • Reduce panic by lowering the stakes.
    • Consider dividing large projects into smaller graded deliverables rather than making a single project count for most of the final grade.
    • Alternative grading methods can change students’ intrinsic motivation.
    • Try a blanket “grace” policy that offers your students a limited number of opportunities to revise, turn in things late,
      or replace a low grade.

C: Connection

You can connect class work to students’ lived experience by giving them options that allow them to make their own connections and meaning:

  • Have students tie their work to their major or career choice.
  • You can give students options by allowing them to choose different assignments or evaluation criteria.
  • Encourage students to create something original and meaningful to their experience. This kind of engagement improves students’
    self-motivation and ownership over their work.
  • It’s more tempting to cheat on assignments that only focus on information retrieval than those that engage the imagination and creativity.

O: Originality

Revising assessments every semester supports student integrity (Eaton, 2021, p. 85). Yes, this is asking a lot of instructors! But there are some tricks that can help you prioritize efficiency:

  • Try enlisting your classes to draft their own assessment questions or prompts and choose from their suggestions.
  • If you like to offer a choice of assessments, pool your assessments with instructors of other sections to give all your students options.
  • “Plug and play” assignment structures allow you to keep the architecture while only changing the topic each semester.

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References

Arce Espinoza, Lourdes, and Julián Monge Nájera (2015). “How to Correct Teaching Methods that Favor Plagiarism: Recommendations from Teachers and Students in a Spanish Language Distance Education University.” Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 40.8, pp. 1070-78. DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2014.966053.

Bertram Gallant, Trish (2008). Academic Integrity in the Twenty-First Century: A Teaching and Learning Imperative. ASHE Higher Education Report 33.5. Wiley.

Bretag, Tracey (2016). Handbook of Academic Integrity. Springer Reference.

Eaton, Sarah Elaine (2021). Plagiarism in Higher Education: Tackling Tough Topics. ABC-CLIO.

Eaton, Sarah Elaine, Melanie Guglielmin, and Kojo beautiful (2017). “Plagiarism: Moving from Punitive to Proactive Approaches.” Selected Proceedings of the IDEAS Conference 2017: Leading Educational Change. Ed. Preciado Babb and Armando Paulino. Pp. 28-36.

Eisner, C., and M. Vicinus (2008). “Introduction: Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism.” Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism, ed. C. Eisner and M. Vicinus, pp. 1-10. University of Michigan Press.

Furze, Leon (18 Aug 2025). “Five Principles for Rethinking Assessment with Gen AI.“ Leonfurze.com. https://leonfurze.com/2025/08/18/five-principles-for-rethinking-assessment-with-gen-ai/.

Howard, Rebecca Moore (1995). “Plagiarisms, Authorships, and the Academic Death Penalty.” College English 57.7, pp. 877-806.

Khathayut, P., Walker-Gleaves, C., & Humble, S. (2022). Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand Thai students’ conceptions of plagiarism within their undergraduate programmes in higher education. Studies in higher education 47(2), 394-411. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1750584

Murray, Laura J (2008). “Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement. The Costs of Confusion.” In Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age. Ed. Caroline Eisner and Martha Vicinus. University of Michigan Press.

Prashar, Anupama, Parul Gupta, and Yogesh K. Weivedi (2023). “Plagiarism Awareness Efforts, Students’ Ethical Judgment and behaviors: A longitudinal Experiment Study on the Ethical Nuances of Plagiarism in Higher Education.” Studies in Higher Education DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2023.2253835.

Robillard, Amy (2009). “Pass it On: Revising the ‘Plagiarism is Theft’ Metaphor. JAC 29.1-2, 405-35.

Vidali, Amy (2011). “Embodying/Disabling Plagiarism.” JAC 31.3-4, pp. 752-769.

 

 

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