Visual plagiarism: Seeing the forest and the trees

Recent years have seen an increase in conversations in higher education around academic integrity. The subject of plagiarism in traditional written assessments has been much discussed and well researched. Considerably less is known about visual plagiarism. For the purposes of this chapter, we are defining “visuals” as mechanisms that convey meaning without articulation of, or dependence on language. Although some scholarly literature on visual plagiarism exists, there is a dearth of comprehensive literature on the topic and even less published are instructional or best-practice resources for instructors. Further complicating this topic are the differing ethical, legal, professional, and academic standards across fields. Here, we discuss practical ways to pre-emptively approach the topic of visual plagiarism through the education of faculty and students. We address prevention with suggestions for best practices in four distinct disciplines. Additionally, academic policy and administrative challenges are explored. Finally, we make recommendations for further research. This chapter will be of use both across Canada and globally, by providing a framework for defining and examining visual plagiarism in academic contexts and offering guidelines for pedagogical approaches to educate faculty, administration, and students on this important issue.