Purpose

Plagiarism has been on the rise, mainly because of increased access to the internet and digital sources. To combat the threat of plagiarism, various universities have implemented countermeasures such as capacity building, anti-plagiarism policies and the purchase of anti-plagiarism software. In Kenya, there appears to be a lack of cohesion among universities in combating plagiarism, a situation that threatens teaching, learning and research if not addressed adequately. This paper aims to review and identify anti-plagiarism practices in Kenyan universities; it further proposed various best practices and policy actions that ought to be adopted to win the fight and the misperception of plagiarism.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a mixed-method approach by surveying the librarians and interviewing the graduate school directors or deans to establish the strength and challenges in implementing plagiarism measures in the universities in Kenya. Before collecting data, the researcher checked the reliability of the tools by pretesting and readjusting the tools based on input from the participants.

Findings

This study established that most universities in Kenya appreciate the fact that plagiarism negatively affects the quality of teaching, learning and research. However, despite the fact that there is goodwill in the effort to combat plagiarism, there were no unified mechanisms, strategies and implementation policies in solving plagiarism issues among universities in Kenya. Different universities have adopted different strategies in terms of policy, software and capacity. Further, it was noted that the well-established/funded universities had clear stipulated mechanisms as opposed to the ill-funded universities with limited funding and budget.

Practical implications

This research provides an opportunity for universities to make an informed choice about the policies, required capacity and software to tackle plagiarism. The findings from the study will be used to improve the quality of academic writing and standardize procedures on plagiarism by proposing policy actions needed to maximize the benefits of the investments in this venture. This study recommends a collaborations approach among universities in the fight against plagiarism. Because the Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium already supports many university cooperation, they ought to take the initiative in formulating policy, choosing the appropriate software to use and developing the necessary ability in the battle against plagiarism.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first effort to evaluate the anti-plagiarism strategies being applied in different universities in Kenya. This study demonstrates the gaps and variations in university strategies in combating academic plagiarism. The findings can be applied to improve academic communication and indeed the quality of research output at other universities in Kenya and beyond.

中文翻译：

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肯尼亚大学的剽窃难题：质量研究的障碍

目的

剽窃一直在上升，这主要是因为互联网和数字资源的普及。为了对抗剽窃的威胁，各大学实施了能力建设、反剽窃政策和购买反剽窃软件等对策。在肯尼亚，大学之间在打击剽窃方面似乎缺乏凝聚力，这种情况如果没有得到充分解决，就会威胁到教学、学习和研究。本文旨在审查和确定肯尼亚大学的反剽窃做法；它进一步提出了应该采取的各种最佳做法和政策行动，以赢得对剽窃的斗争和误解。

设计/方法/途径

本研究采用混合方法，通过调查图书馆员和采访研究生院院长或院长来确定肯尼亚大学实施剽窃措施的实力和挑战。在收集数据之前，研究人员通过根据参与者的输入对工具进行预测试和重新调整来检查工具的可靠性。

发现

这项研究表明，肯尼亚的大多数大学都意识到剽窃对教学、学习和研究质量产生负面影响的事实。然而，尽管在打击抄袭方面存在善意，但肯尼亚大学之间在解决抄袭问题方面并没有统一的机制、策略和实施政策。不同的大学在政策、软件和能力方面采取了不同的策略。此外，有人指出，与资金和预算有限的资金不足的大学相反，建立良好/资金充足的大学有明确规定的机制。

实际影响

这项研究为大学提供了一个机会，可以就应对剽窃的政策、所需能力和软件做出明智的选择。该研究的结果将用于提高学术写作的质量和规范剽窃程序，方法是提出必要的政策行动，以最大限度地提高对该企业投资的收益。本研究建议大学之间采取合作方式打击剽窃。由于肯尼亚图书馆和信息服务联盟已经支持许多大学的合作，他们应该主动制定政策，选择合适的软件使用，并培养必要的能力来打击剽窃。

原创性/价值

据作者所知，这项研究是首次评估肯尼亚不同大学应用的反剽窃策略。本研究证明了大学在打击学术剽窃方面的策略存在差距和差异。这些发现可用于改善学术交流，甚至提高肯尼亚及其他地区其他大学的研究成果质量。