Plagiarism rife

5th March 2010

Almost 40 percent of Polish students simply copy other students’ texts when writing their Master’s thesis, according to Gazeta Prawna.

While this kind of behaviour is often brushed under the carpet, the newspaper warns that plagiarism is in fact more serious than many believe and that if found guilty, offenders could face a fine, or in some cases, imprisonment.

“During my time at university, it was almost expected of you by other students. Everyone I knew was at it and what’s more you got the impression that lecturers would turn a blind eye to it, which just made it easier to do,” says one ex-student, who wishes to remain nameless.

However not all lecturers share this vie ...