Toward more Sustainable Plagiarism Policies in an AI Higher Education Environment: a Student-Informed Case Study

Acuyo Cespedes A. Tursunkhanova E.
March 2026 Springer Science and Business Media B.V.

Journal of Academic Ethics
2026 #24 Issue 1

As the implications of artificial intelligence on plagiarism become more salient across universities, this study investigates students’ views on artificial intelligence-assisted plagiarism as a concept, their satisfaction with current policy and their perspectives on future policy direction. Drawing on qualitative focus group data, the study reveals that students view artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, as both enablers of plagiarism and legitimate aids to learning. They criticize existing plagiarism policies as unclear and inconsistently applied, and call for a shift from punitive responses toward proactive training and assessment reform. The findings suggest that integrating artificial intelligence literacy into curricula and reducing reliance on high-stakes summative assessment can foster more sustainable academic integrity practices. The conclusions highlight the importance of including student perspectives in shaping plagiarism policies suited to an artificial intelligence-driven higher education landscape.

AI in education , Higher education , Plagiarism , Technology enhanced learning

Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи

Centre for Preparatory Studies, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

Centre for Preparatory Studies

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026