Description

Plagiarism is a problem that needs to be addressed by all educators and learners (Martin, 2005). When issues such as studying through the medium of English as a second language, diverse educational backgrounds, and alternative cultural views of what constitutes plagiarism are considered, the problem increases. Nevertheless, every educational institution that adopts Western-style principles toward plagiarism has the responsibility to equip their students with appropriate skills.

This paper considers a simple definition of plagiarism, and then looks at why students plagiarise. In addition, there is a brief description of a Research Skills and Projects (RS&P) course that was designed and built specifically for Higher Diploma Foundations (HDF) students at Dubai Men’s College (DMC). It is proposed, based on findings from the associated longitudinal research study, that skills learned on the RS&P course minimise incidents of plagiarism.

Please cite as: Owen, H. (2007). ESL students: Fostering skills to avoid plagiarism. In A. Jendli, S. Troudi & C. Coombe (Eds.), The power of language: Perspectives from Arabia (pp. 215-231). Dubai: TESOL Arabia.