When Dr Judith Gullifer graduates from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst tomorrow the award of a doctorate for her thesis about student plagiarism will have particular relevance for her work.

Dr Gullifer, a lecturer in psychology at the CSU School of Psychology in Bathurst, will graduate at the Faculty of Arts ceremony at 9.30am Thursday 17 December.

Her research thesis, titled 'Students' perceptions of plagiarism', is timely in a rapidly evolving online world.

"The digital world has seen the proliferation of paper mills, which are websites that provide assignments on any topic," Dr Gullifer said. "These websites have provided another avenue for students to obtain material with ease.

"The Internet has enabled an avenue for sourcing ready-made papers that are easily obtainable; therefore, they are perceived to be on the increase.

"Media reports as recent as November this year uncovered major cheating problems at Australian universities, where students were able to purchase papers and submit them as their own. In addition to the availability of material on the Internet are advances in word processing software that enable the easy copying and reuse of online material. The relative ease at which students can plagiarise has resulted in an attitude which normalises cut-and-paste plagiarism from the Web."

The costs of plagiarism to society can be great,  from inadequately trained graduates posing a risk to public safety through to provision of inaccurate advice on welfare and financial decisions, and not least of all damaging university reputations through media scrutiny. Further costs within universities include administrative management to combat it. Specifically, an increased burden is placed on the academic staff member managing the subject to correctly identify plagiarism and refer the matter through appropriate university processes.

"My thesis aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of students' perceptions of plagiarism at Charles Sturt University," Dr Gullifer said.

"Findings suggest that students have a limited understanding of the institution's policy on academic misconduct, and while they fear inadvertent plagiarism, they do not view plagiarism as serious, and perceive sanctions to be relatively mild.

"Participants reported some writing apprehension and resentment towards the emphasis on plagiarism at the University.

"The implications of the PhD suggest a revision of the University's policy on academic misconduct, the development of a University-wide systematic approach with an educative focus, and improving deterrence strategies.

"The first implication is currently being undertaken at the University with a revision of the Academic Misconduct Policy. The other two implications will be explored and examined once the new policy has been ratified by the University."