Canadian university students’ gendered attitudes toward plagiarism

Prior research on plagiarism has indicated that men may have a greater

predisposition toward academic dishonesty than women. However, little

research has been conducted using psychometrically tested instruments

to validate such claims. To address this gap, a survey was conducted with

377 undergraduate students at a Canadian university on their attitudes

toward plagiarism using a psychometrically validated instrument (the

Attitudes Toward Plagiarism Questionnaire – Revised). Using differential

item functioning/Rasch analysis, no overall differences in attitudes toward

plagiarism based on gender were found. A descriptive analysis of both men

and women revealed that while only a concerning minority of students

reported engaging in plagiarist behaviours; there was a tendency for students

to take a permissive stance on plagiarism. These results are discussed within

the wider context of plagiarism research in higher education.