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Research ArticleArticles

Detecting and Preventing Cheating in Exams: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Tobias Cagala, Ulrich Glogowsky and Johannes Rincke
Published online before print October 13, 2021, 0620-10947R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0620-10947R1
Tobias Cagala
* Economist at Deutsche Bundesbank
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Ulrich Glogowsky
* Professor of economics at Johannes Kepler University Linz
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Johannes Rincke
* Professor of economics at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper examines how to detect, document, and prevent plagiarism in exams. First, to identify and quantify plagiarism, we propose methods that compare similarities in multiple-choice answers between seat neighbors and nonneighbors. Second, we document cheating in undergraduate exams. Under baseline monitoring, at least 7.7% of the row-wise neighbor pairs plagiarized. Pairs composed of academically weaker students cheated more. Third, using a field experiment, we demonstrate that close monitoring eliminated cheating. By contrast, signing an honesty declaration doubled cheating relative to the control group. Complementary experiments suggest that the declaration backfired because it weakened the social norm of academic integrity.

Keywords:
  • academic cheating
  • close monitoring
  • honesty declaration
  • field experiment
  • randomization testing
JEL Codes:
  • I21
  • I23
  • D83

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Journal of Human Resources: 58 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 58, Issue 3
1 May 2023
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Detecting and Preventing Cheating in Exams: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Tobias Cagala, Ulrich Glogowsky, Johannes Rincke
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2021, 0620-10947R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0620-10947R1

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Detecting and Preventing Cheating in Exams: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Tobias Cagala, Ulrich Glogowsky, Johannes Rincke
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2021, 0620-10947R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0620-10947R1
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Keywords

  • academic cheating
  • close monitoring
  • honesty declaration
  • field experiment
  • randomization testing
  • I21
  • I23
  • D83
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