Research: ChatGPT Use and Plagiarism Show Significant...
Strong research out of Spain finds that the link between using ChatGPT and academic fraud, i.e., plagiarism, is significant. The paper is by Héctor Galindo-Domínguez, Lucía Campo, Nahia Delgado, and Martín Sainz de la Maza from University of the Basque Country. The research surveyed 507 university students, mainly in education majors, to establish connections between the use of ChatGPT and academic misconduct.
Findings
The study found that students inclined to plagiarize often use ChatGPT, and vice versa. However, using ChatGPT did not cause students to plagiarize significantly. The research also highlighted that the frequency of using ChatGPT for academic purposes does not predict plagiarism levels significantly. The results indicate a tight correlation between using ChatGPT and cheating, although the causality remains weak.
Factors Influencing Plagiarism
The study identified lack of motivation and a culture of cheating as significant factors related to using ChatGPT for plagiarism. The researchers emphasized that personal variables like cheating culture and amotivation influence plagiarism levels significantly.
Impact on Academic Integrity
While ChatGPT itself may not strongly predict misconduct, the combination of using ChatGPT, a culture of cheating, and lack of motivation explains a considerable variance in plagiarism levels. Cheating culture emerges as the most potent predictor of academic misconduct.
University Response
In a surprising move, the University of Waterloo decided to discontinue the AI detection tool in Turnitin, citing costs and unreliability. This decision raises concerns about assessment security and academic integrity at the institution.
Overall, the research sheds light on the complex relationship between ChatGPT use and plagiarism, emphasizing the need for institutions to address underlying factors contributing to academic misconduct.
