Student plagiarism: Intended or accidental?

Abstract

With the rise of accessibility to the internet, it is easier for students to commit plagiarism. But which students are more likely to do so? Even more important is the extent to which students commit plagiarism on purpose. The aim of this literature review is to answer these questions. It appears that international students who are young, internal (meaning that they are attending their 'own' university) and more experienced (meaning higher years of enrollment) are more likely to commit plagiarism than other students. In addition, students who frequently procrastinate are also more likely to commit plagiarism. Furthermore, intended plagiarism seems to be quite rare, while accidental plagiarism is quite common. The most commonly heard explanation for accidental plagiarism is that students lack knowledge about how to avoid plagiarism. In the discussion section, some suggestions for making students aware of plagiarism are proposed. An increase in awareness and knowledge should lead to a drop in the prevalence of plagiarism.