Cultural Differences in Attitudes toward Plagiarism in Undergraduate Business

This study examines attitudes towards plagiarism in Australian and Chinese (PRC) students and the extent to which they have, or someone they have known has, experienced it. A combination of questionnaire and scenario response was used and the results statistically analysed. The results indicate that Chinese students were more tolerant towards plagiarism than the Australian students and more likely to take part in it, or know someone who had. Although results were in most cases statistically significant, they were not sufficiently strong to indicate unqualified support for a cultural imperative in relation to plagiarism. Results indicate a greater need for plagiarism education for students and that this may need reinforcement throughout the education process