THE GOOD, THE BAD, OR THE UGLY: EXAMINING IRANIAN EFL UNIVERSITY TEACHERS' AND GRADUATE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PLAGIARISM

Abstract

This study attempted to investigate Iranian EFL teachers' and students' perceptions of plagiarism, the reasons for committing it, and the ways through which it can be resolved. To do so, a questionnaire was administered to a convenient sample of university teachers (N=9) and students (N=34). Results revealed that compared to their students, teachers reported greater amount of plagiarism in the writing samples given to them, which might imply that they were more strict in detecting plagiarism. In terms of the unfairness of plagiarism, both groups pointed out that plagiarists are primarily unfair to the original author because they take the credit that s/he really deserves. Regarding the reasons for doing plagiarism, too, both groups concurred that the most prominent reason is the students' inability to write scientifically. Finally, while students thought that this problem could be solved through open discussion and negotiation, teachers posited that open discussion as well as severe punishment methods could be used to solve the problem.