Foreign-educated graduate nursing students and plagiarism

Abstract

Background: Plagiarism is a concern related to students educated in countries other than the United States, where English is not the first language spoken. The authors’ experience with plagiarism by a foreign-educated nursing student prompted an investigation into this topic. Method: This article focuses on the occurrence of unintentional plagiarism, a common focus with foreign-educated students, addressing linguistic, as well as cultural, viewpoints. Results: The findings from the literature on plagiarism among foreign-educated students are elicited and the article discusses strategies to help foreign-educated students learn about plagiarism and how to properly cite and reference sources. Conclusion: A variety of proactive strategies exist that can be used by both faculty and students to mitigate the occurrence of plagiarism by foreign-educated nursing students in higher education, starting with a clearer understanding of some of the antecedents to the problem of plagiarism.