Plagiarism in Engineering Programs: An Annotated Bibliography
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, Principal Investigator
Katherine Crossman, PhD, Research Associate
Lorelei Anselmo, MEd, Research Associate
Abstract
Purpose: This report documents research and related materials concerning plagiarism in STEM and
engineering programs to inform and guide future work in the field. It provides an overview of the
literature up to and including 2019 related to plagiarism in STEM and engineering programs.
Methods: Two research questions guided this literature review: 1. What scholarly, research, and
professional literature explores and examines plagiarism in STEM and engineering programs? 2. What
major themes emerge from scholarly and research literature about plagiarism in engineering? To this
end, a methodical research of databases was undertaken, relevant research was compiled, and articles
were summarized and categorized.
Results: Our review and search of the literature resulted in 31 sources, which we organized into 7
categories: (a) Background: AI in engineering; (b) student perceptions and attitudes; (c) faculty
perceptions and attitudes; (d) cheating and collusion; (e) text-matching software and plagiarism
detection; (f) international students and (g) interventions and reparations.
We found that plagiarism in STEM and engineering, as in other fields, is widespread among students and
faculty, while policies and their implementation are often inconsistent. Calls for clearer guidelines and
greater support for students and faculty resound as a consistent theme in the literature.
Implications: Plagiarism in STEM and engineering research has been slow to develop, but is a continuing field of growth. As more stakeholders become aware of the scope and complexities of plagiarism, many researchers are making recommendations for policy, policy implementation, and support through technology, education, and intervention programs.