Cultural Influences on Plagiarism

A lot of people view plagiarism as a huge issue. Serious consequences can be given to students who submit anything but their own work in schools, universities, and colleges – in western countries, that is. Western universities sometimes neglect the fact that in Asia and some other cultures, plagiarism is not considered a big deal. Often times, we emphasize that plagiarism is a form of dishonesty, and that it is done intentionally. However, there is another major reason for plagiarism, which is cultural differences.
There are several differences between plagiarism in western and non-western cultures. The idea of plagiarism itself came from western cultures. Their idea of plagiarism is based on the law of originality, that one’s work only belongs to him. On the contrary, other cultures surprisingly show respect to a source by using the exact words of that source (“Reasons for Plagiarism”). Non-western cultures do not consider originality as an important matter. Besides that, in Asian countries, college professors are usually familiar with the original source of a student’s plagiarized work (“Cultural Perspectives”). Basically, the concept of plagiarism differ in western and non-western cultures. Therefore, is it fair to accuse someone of plagiarism when his view of plagiarism is different?
Contrasting views of plagiarism is not the only difference between plagiarism in western and non-western cultures. Different cultures also have different ways of distinguishing between common knowledge and new knowledge. What Westerners consider common knowledge might not be familiar for Asians, and vice versa. It is a very complicated job to determine what is common knowledge in a certain culture, because it requires experience and intelligence (“Cultural Perspectives on Plagiarism”). To write a paper, a student must understand the backgrounds of the reader.
There are many proofs of cultural influence on plagiarism. This idea is even supported by experts. A study conducting 13 ESL (English as a Second Language) students in University of Western Australia who plagiarized in a postgraduate engineering course proved that cultural influences is one of the causes plagiarism. They were given different articles and were asked to detect plagiarism in those articles. They were also surveyed on their concept of plagiarism. After the test, it was proven that the 13 ESL students had troubles discovering plagiarism, and they had unclear perspectives on plagiarism (Stappenbelt, Rowles, and May).
The number of international students studying in western countries keeps on increasing. According to Open Doors Data in 2011-2012, there is a total of 764,495 international students in the United States, with China (194,029 students), India (100,270 students), and South Korea (72,295 students) being the top three places of origin (“Top 25 Places”). This indicates that a huge number of students probably have an unclear understanding of plagiarism. Hence, how do we avoid plagiarism caused by cultural differences?
To prevent plagiarism from happening, academic advisors must assist international students. The first thing they must do is provide the students with information about plagiarism in western countries. Afterwards, they should tell about the punishments that might be dealt with if a student commits plagiarism. Academic advisors should also guide the students to the correct academic resources such as plagiarism workshops, writing center, and professors (Gillespie). Even so, the solution of eliminating plagiarism for international students does not stop here.
It is imperative that students also discipline themselves to fight plagiarism. One of the things to take into account about plagiarism is to cite. Westerners are very concerned about the ownership of words, so a student must acknowledge the author when using that author’s thoughts. Citing is needed when a student uses someone else’s ideas, writes something that is not common knowledge, and whenever he doubts whether or not something is common knowledge. The Writing and Humanistic Studies program of Massachusetts Institute of Technology emphasized this with a quote which says, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do … when in the United States (and several other western countries), cite sources” (“Avoiding Plagiarism”).
A variety of cultural backgrounds is one of the reasons of plagiarism. Different traditions give different standpoints on plagiarism. Ways of differentiating between common knowledge and new knowledge also varies in different cultures. Nevertheless, we have no right point out the flaws of one’s traditions. All traditions are right, and the students simply needs to be able to write according to different contexts.

Works Cited
“Avoiding Plagiarism”. Writing and Humanistic Studies. Massachusetts Institude of Technology, n.d. Web. 24 September 2013.
“Cultural Perspectives on Plagiarism”. Washington State University Libraries. Washington State University, n.d. Web. 20 September 2013.
Gillespie, Gabriela M. “Guide to Advising International Students about Academic Integrity”. Division of Undergraduate Studies – Pennsylvania State University. The Pennsylvania State University, 2 March 2012. Web. 26 September 2013. “Reasons for Plagiarism”. University of Alberta Library Guides. University of Alberta Libraries, n.d. Web. 20 September 2013.
Stappenbelt, Brad; Rowles, Chris; and May, Eric. “Cultural influence on attitudes to plagiarism.” Curtin Teaching and Learning. Curtin University of Technology, 20 January 2009. Web. 20 September 2013.
“Top 25 Places of Origin of International Students, 2010/11-2011/12”. Institute of International Education. Institute of International Education, Inc., n.d. Web. 26 September 2013.

Cited: “Avoiding Plagiarism”. Writing and Humanistic Studies. Massachusetts Institude of Technology, n.d. Web. 24 September 2013. “Cultural Perspectives on Plagiarism”. Washington State University Libraries. Washington State University, n.d. Web. 20 September 2013. Gillespie, Gabriela M. “Guide to Advising International Students about Academic Integrity”. Division of Undergraduate Studies – Pennsylvania State University. The Pennsylvania State University, 2 March 2012. Web. 26 September 2013. “Reasons for Plagiarism”. University of Alberta Library Guides. University of Alberta Libraries, n.d. Web. 20 September 2013. Stappenbelt, Brad; Rowles, Chris; and May, Eric. “Cultural influence on attitudes to plagiarism.” Curtin Teaching and Learning. Curtin University of Technology, 20 January 2009. Web. 20 September 2013. “Top 25 Places of Origin of International Students, 2010/11-2011/12”. Institute of International Education. Institute of International Education, Inc., n.d. Web. 26 September 2013.