Abstract

In the midst of international opportunities available to academics and students, plagiarism keeps plaguing the Indonesian higher education sector. This paper reports the findings from an Australian Alumni Reference Group activity which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, in May 2013. An exploratory survey on plagiarism was conducted with Australian Award Alumni to capture their perceptions and opinions on the incidence of plagiarism and plagiarism prevention in higher education institutions in Indonesia. The survey was then followed up with a series of focus group discussions with representatives of higher education institutions to discuss the issues further. The findings revealed that a pattern of plagiarism conduct can be identified for both students and faculty members. One issue found is that there is a perceived discrepancy of standards between the overseas and local graduate faculty members on what plagiarism is. The overseas graduates are perceived as ‘stricter’, and this creates reluctance from the overseas faculty members to speak up on the issue for fear of being judged harshly. Concerns over standards and consistency, especially in law enforcement, were discussed in efforts to prevent plagiarism in higher education institutions in Indonesia