Attitudes towards plagiarism in academia

Authors

  • Irena Vassileva New Bulgarian University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0150-6375
  • Mariya Chankova South-West University Neofit Rilski, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.19.1.7

Keywords:

academic plagiarism, perceptions, anti-plagiarism policy

Abstract

This contribution probes into the attitudes towards plagiarism in academia as it details the results of a questionnaire study within the larger framework of a joint Bulgarian-German research project on plagiarism in academia. The questionnaire focused on investigating the scope of the notion of plagiarism as Bulgarian academics understand it and second, looking into the availability of a system of support to prevent transgressors and/or sanctions for transgressing academics across Bulgarian universities. The results of the questionnaire suggest that while there appears to be a consensus among Bulgarian academics about the different facets that make up the notion of plagiarism, the reported attitudes towards plagiarism practices vary greatly, reflecting a non-uniform perception of what constitutes an offense. It also shows a deep dissatisfaction with existing anti-plagiarism regulatory systems in Bulgarian scientific institutions.

Note: This study was financed by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, as part of a larger project entitled: “Text Plagiarism in the Social Sciences vis-à-vis Ethical Aspects and Common Practices†and realized within the framework of the Research Group Linkage Programme of the foundation in the period of 01.01.2017 – 30.06.2018. Ref. 3.4 – 1062413 – BGR – IP.

Author Biographies

Irena Vassileva, New Bulgarian University

Irena Vassileva, Vassileva is Full professor of English and German, Dr. phil. habil., and has worked extensively on spoken and written academic communication in English, German and Bulgarian. She has published three monographs and a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals and collections of articles. Vassileva has also received various research awards from outstanding foundations in international competition and has worked at universities in Bulgaria, Germany and the UK.

Mariya Chankova, South-West University Neofit Rilski, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

Mariya Chankova is Dr. Phil. in English linguistics and has been working in Pragmatics and the philosophy of language, with a special focus on Speech Act Theory and the phenomenology of illocutionary acts. She has collaborated in international research projects on academic communication in multimedia environment and academic plagiarism. Chief Assistant Professor of French and English, she teaches French and English, and core linguistic disciplines in French at the South-West University, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Downloads

Published

2019-06-01

How to Cite

Vassileva, I., & Chankova, M. (2019). Attitudes towards plagiarism in academia. English Studies at NBU, 5(1), 135–163. https://doi.org/10.33919/esnbu.19.1.7

Issue

Section

Articles