The ethical use of information during university students' academic development

This paper outlines the research plan to develop the PhD Program in Education in the Knowledge Society by strengthening our understanding of academic plagiarism among university students and how technology has led to its increase. Information overload and easy access to information make it more likely to steal intellectual property and increases the unethical use of information. Problems related to the effective use and management of information persist and lead students to academic plagiarism. The intention therefore, through this research, is to discover whether improvements in the development of information competencies help tackle this problem. A mixed research methodology is proposed, to better understand the extent of the problem based on a quantitative analysis; a qualitative assessment will also be used to understand its causes. Data collection instruments, i.e. university student questionnaires and interviews will be designed to fulfil the objectives set out in this research: to analyse whether university students have developed information competencies or not, and whether these competencies lead to academic plagiarism. The data obtained will be used to create a training program aimed at tackling the problem. The program will be based on resources used from students' very first year at university, thus achieving significant changes in the learning process.