University education

Professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism: A literature review

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Figure 1: PRISMA flow chart for the selection of studies on professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism.

Objectives: This paper aims to identify and critically evaluate the extant knowledge about professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism. A clearer comprehension of these perceptions will allow us to forward the literature on this topic by pointing avenues for further research and policy.

Methodology: We explored professors’ perception of student plagiarism through an integrative literature review. To undertake this review, we searched the literature from 2000 to 2016 using a range of keyword combinations related to professors’ perception of plagiarism. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were implemented to choose abstracts and then full papers. In order to ensure the rigor of the review, we also employed a systematic analytical framework.
— Results: The twenty-two studies identified revealed greatly contrasting and uneven perceptions about students’ plagiarism among professors. Our findings indicate that it is necessary to focus not only on professors’ perceptions of what plagiarism is as a concept, but also to map to what extent this is an important, prevalent and severe issue for them. In the same vein, we highlight that such perceptions and the causes professors attribute to the reasons why students plagiarise may have a strong relationship with the actions they ultimate undertake to deal with this issue. Finally, we reflect on the additional problems caused by inconsistent implementation of responses to plagiarism at all academic levels.

Preferences for course delivery in library and information science programs: a study of master’s students in Canada and the United States

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Table 2. Delivery Preferences for LIS Core Content Areas (n=891)

Objectives: This paper reports on Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students’ preferences for course delivery (online, blended or face-to-face) and how their preferences differ based on demographic variables. This research is part of a bi-national study that investigated the motivations and experiences that MLIS students had with online education, while completing their graduate degree in an American Library Association (ALA)-accredited institution.

Methodology: The study used an online survey to gather data from Master’s degree students enrolled in LIS programs accredited by ALA, a professional association which accredits programs in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The online questionnaire was administered with the assistance of the administration and their student associations of LIS programs. Thirty-six programs from Canada and the US were represented by the 1,038 students who responded to the online survey. Respondents who had taken and completed at least one online course constituted the sample (n=910) that was used for analysis and the reporting of the results.
— Results: The findings show that there were five statistically significant indicators associated with preferred instructional delivery for MLIS core courses: age (generational cohort), employment status, metro status, commute distance, and program modality. The results show that younger students who had part-time employment, resided in urban areas, and lived closer to the campus showed greater preference for a course delivery mode that required some form of in-person instruction (face-to-face or blended) than their older peers who had full-time employment, resided in rural areas, and lived farther from campus.

Rethinking Library and Information Studies in Spain: Crossing the boundaries*

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Espanya. Les Ciències de la Informació estan adscrites a altres disciplines (facultats / departaments)

Objectives: The main objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of the current state of studies in library and information science in Spanish universities and to discuss the challenges this discipline is facing and the strategies that might strengthen the position of LIS-related studies and professional practice. But the paper also reconsiders why LIS in Spain is crossing the boundaries in two ways. First, it examines interdisciplinarity in LIS and identifies some of the travel companions LIS has made on its journey across the boundaries; and second, it analyzes the negative social repercussions LIS has experienced. Finally, the paper proposes initiatives to mitigate the low visibility of LIS education and the profession as a whole.

Methodology: Data were gathered from the official agencies the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (National Institute of Statistics, INE) and the Red de Centros y Departamentos de Información y Documentación (Network of University Centres and Departments of Information and Documentation, RUID). Further data were obtained from the annual reports of Spanish universities.

Results: We describe the current situation of undergraduate courses, master’s degrees and doctoral programmes. Among other observations, we note the general decrease in the demand for LIS undergraduate studies and we propose that the increase in postgraduate studies is unsatisfactory. Finally we reflect on the challenges that these studies are currently facing in this country and suggest strategies that may be used to strengthen the position of both LIS education and the profession as a whole.