University students caught plagiarising their work are very rarely expelled, according to the latest survey on the issue.
The findings, published in a recent Higher Education Academy report, show that of the 9,200 cases studied only 143 students were actually expelled.
The most common sanction was making the students resubmit their work with marks deducted. The second most common sanction was a reprimand.
The report criticised the inconsistent approach shown by different institutions in dealing with plagiarism. Some institutions allowed students to resubmit plagiarised work with no penalty, whereas others were happy to issue an informal warning.
This study also found that plagiarism was more frequent in postgraduate courses.
"It was surprising to observe that the recorded level of plagiarism among postgraduate students was so much higher than the recorded level among undergraduate student," says the report.
Across the universities as a whole, the cheating rate was about seven cases for every thousand students.
The findings, published in a recent Higher Education Academy report, show that of the 9,200 cases studied only 143 students were actually expelled.
The most common sanction was making the students resubmit their work with marks deducted. The second most common sanction was a reprimand.
The report criticised the inconsistent approach shown by different institutions in dealing with plagiarism. Some institutions allowed students to resubmit plagiarised work with no penalty, whereas others were happy to issue an informal warning.
This study also found that plagiarism was more frequent in postgraduate courses.
"It was surprising to observe that the recorded level of plagiarism among postgraduate students was so much higher than the recorded level among undergraduate student," says the report.
Across the universities as a whole, the cheating rate was about seven cases for every thousand students.
