UNDERGRADUATE CHEATING - WHO DOES WHAT AND WHY

Research on undergraduate cheating behaviour is in its infancy in the UK. The paper reports data from a series of studies across different a cademic disciplines and different institutions. The first study was de signed to assess staff and student perceptions of the seriousness and frequency of different kinds of cheating. This enabled a comprehensive set of cheating behaviours to be developed. A second study utilised t his set to elicit self-reports by undergraduates, who also gave reason s for indulging (or not) in each type of behaviour. Behaviours such as : copying each other's work, plagiarism, and altering and inventing re search data were admitted to by more than 60% of the students. Data wi th respect to age, gender, discipline and institution are discussed al ong with the implications of these results for all in higher education .