Assessing the level of plagiarism in academic work among students in six universities in Rwanda

Anecdotal evidence suggests that higher education institutions in Rwanda face issues of plagiarism. It is critical to understand the magnitude of this to ensure appropriate interventions are implemented. A study was conducted to assess the magnitude of plagiarism among students in higher education institutions in Rwanda. Six universities in Rwanda provided their school policies on plagiarism and 183 students’ written work samples. The percentages of similarity of the work samples detected by the plagiarism detection software Turnitin, and the types of plagiarism were assessed. The average similarity percentage was 40%, and moderate to significant levels of plagiarism were found in more than 77% of the samples. Universities that provide regular writing training for students and communicate clear anti-plagiarism policies to their students were found to have lower levels of plagiarism. It is recommended that universities in Rwanda should invest in plagiarism detection software and provide training workshops to avoid plagiarism occurring.

轶事性证据显示，卢旺达高等教育机构存在学术剽窃（plagiarism）问题。明晰该问题的严重程度，对于落实恰当的干预措施至关重要。本研究针对卢旺达高等院校学生的学术剽窃问题严重程度展开评估，共有6所卢旺达高校提供了本校关于学术剽窃的政策文件，以及183份学生书面作业样本。研究借助Turnitin这款学术剽窃检测软件，对作业样本的重复率以及学术剽窃的类型进行了评估。样本的平均重复率达40%，且超过77%的样本存在中等至严重程度的学术剽窃问题。研究发现，为学生提供定期写作培训、并向其明确传达反剽窃政策的高校，其学生的学术剽窃问题严重程度更低。据此，本研究建议卢旺达各高校应投入资金购置学术剽窃检测软件，并开展相关培训讲习班，以有效避免学术剽窃问题的发生。