Catching Cheating Students

Steven Levitt and Ming-Jen Lin
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: 明仁 林

No 21628, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We develop a simple algorithm for detecting exam cheating between students who copy off one another’s exam. When this algorithm is applied to exams in a general science course at a top university, we find strong evidence of cheating by at least 10 percent of the students. Students studying together cannot explain our findings. Matching incorrect answers prove to be a stronger indicator of cheating than matching correct answers. When seating locations are randomly assigned, and monitoring is increased, cheating virtually disappears.

JEL-codes: K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-law
Note: LE PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published as Ming‐Jen Lin & Steven D. Levitt, 2020. "Catching Cheating Students," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 87(348), pages 885-900, October.

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Journal Article: Catching Cheating Students (2020)
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