A search for paraphrasing and plagiarism avoidance strategies in the context of writing from sources in a foreign language

Abstract

Writing from sources is a keystone in academic education. Studies show that it can be problematic for students and in extreme cases may result in plagiarism. This article is devoted to one of the many skills necessary to write from sources, namely paraphrasing. The study described here aims to identify and categorise the paraphrasing and plagiarism avoidance strategies applied by students when writing their Master of Arts (MA) dissertations in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The data were collected via questionnaires and were based on students’ reports concerning their paraphrasing behaviours. The study enabled an array of before-, whileand after-paraphrasing strategies to be collected. The results may contribute to the literature on writing from sources by drawing greater attention to strategic behaviours of students connected with paraphrasing and plagiarism avoidance.