Delving Deeper: Understanding the Complexities of Plagiarism Prevention in Georgian Higher Education

Abstract

The principles of academic integrity were broadly introduced to the Georgian higher education system in recent decade. After being integrated in the Bologna Process, the harmonization of the procedures and mechanisms made it necessary to implement changes to ensure the quality of education. The aim of this study was to explore the current practices for plagiarism prevention in Georgian higher education institutions. For this reason, recent institutional and study program accreditation reports were analysed, and 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic staff representing different fields of study. The report analysis revealed that most academic integrity practices did not fully comply with existing accreditation standards, leading to specific recommendations for universities. The interviews with the academic staff confirmed that the perception of plagiarism differs among the different groups of professors. It was observed that the link with experiences in the Soviet Union still exists. Moreover, some instructors are only focused on detection. The findings of this research showed that the culture of academic integrity is still in the transition phase in the Georgian higher education system.

Received: 26 June 2024 / Accepted: 29 August 2024 / Published: xx September 2024