The issues of academic integrity and plagiarism have been persistent in higher education for many years. However, with the rapid increase in online courses and technology integration into education at all levels, plagiarism is gaining more attention. Students frequently use the Internet as a source of information, and many view this content as not belonging to a particular author and therefore able to be legitimately used in course assignments.1 While technology can afford students opportunities to plagiarize through effortless copying and pasting of electronic text, a wide array of software programs have been developed that allow faculty to detect plagiarism quite easily. Many plagiarism software programs are available free of charge.

Although plagiarism detection is necessary in fostering academic integrity, many instances of plagiarism may be unintentional. One mechanism to aid student success is to ensure that students are aware of the definition of plagiarism (including self-plagiarism) via information provided in each course. Clearly defined policies with consistent enforcement can assist in decreasing the number of occurrences. Research on unintentional plagiarism has raised questions about whether students who are learning to write academic papers should be expected to fully understand how to avoid plagiarism.2 Many nursing programs include this content in orientation sessions, particularly with master's and doctoral students who will be expected to complete intense, high-stakes writing assignments.

To establish a culture of academic honesty, it is important that leaders at all levels (university, department, and program) demonstrate strong support for the university academic integrity policy. Universities with honor codes have been shown to have lower levels of cheating.3 Campus pledges, judicial boards for student input, and reporting requirements are other strategies that universities institute to foster a climate of academic integrity. Faculty input into policies related to plagiarism prevention and detection is vital, and the consistent enforcement of consequences of plagiarism is necessary. For nursing students at all levels, providing examples of plagiarism and information about its consequences early on in the program may help to minimize incidences of academic dishonesty and foster student success.

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