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Graduate students – seasoned scholars who should know better – account for the largest chunk of cheaters caught last year at Western University.

Despite being repeatedly warned during their studies that passing off someone’s else work as their own could get them expelled, students in Western’s school of graduate and postdoctoral studies racked up the most plagiarism offences between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, a report to the university’s senate says.

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There were 44 cases involving graduate and postdoctoral students, including 29 students in one course given an F on an assignment and a verbal reminder about plagiarism.

Released this month, the report documents dozens of other examples of bad behaviour, such as unauthorized collaborations on assignments and cheating on exams.

A Western spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

Penalties for graduate students caught plagiarizing ranged from a zero grade on an assignment to being allowed to resubmit an assignment with a maximum grade of 60 per cent.