Collaborative training: faculty and Library combat plagiarism: the case of the Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto Library

• Main Author: Braga, Inês
• Publication Date: 2023
• Other Authors: Moura, Isabel Santos, Valente, Iolanda, Abreu, António
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.22/21272
• topic: Plagiarism; University libraries; Training for information literacy

The study focuses on plagiarism in higher education and on the need for collaborative work between students, faculty, and librarians to prevent it. The university library assumes a significant role as an information literacy training agent, transmitting the importance of an ethical use of Information and the respect for intellectual property and copyright laws. The literature review includes: a theoretical reflection on the concept of plagiarism; on plagiarism legislation; on how Higher Education Institutions—HEIs—cope and embrace training as a pre-emptive measure. In our capacity as faculty and as librarians at Porto Polytechnic Accounting and Business School—ISCAP—we conducted an empirical study on the library, applying a case study methodology, and documental research as data collection technique. This study mapped the Information Literacy training provided by the library over a period of seven years (2015–2021) in response to a strategic design to improve academic success and to make students aware of the correct use of scientific information. The results obtained demonstrate that the library already has a sustained training program, well-defined audiences, contents aligned with the objectives of the educational process, and a fruitful dialogue with faculty. Yet, this dynamic should be expanded in the future by a more systematic and diversified training offer.