This July, the Postplagiarism Research Lab was especially busy, with members and visiting researchers from different countries and academic backgrounds coming together at the Lab at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Some were there as students or instructors, while others joined us as visiting doctoral researchers. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect, share ideas and research plans, and discuss our progress and future collaborations. We also have some exciting projects in the works, and we look forward to sharing more about them soon!
Among those visiting us this summer was Diana Paola Sáenz, a Colombian doctoral student in Education and ICT (e-Learning) at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Spain. Paola shares her reflections on her visit to the Postplagiarism Research Lab.
Paola’s Visit to the University of Calgary
The reflection below was written by Paola Sáenz.
Paola Sáenz during her visit to the Postplagiarism Research Lab at the University of Calgary
From July 17 to 22, I had the privilege of visiting the Postplagiarism Research Lab at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, at the invitation of its director, Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton, one of the world’s recognized voices in the study of academic integrity.
I arrived with high expectations, but the experience exceeded them. During several sessions with Dr. Sarah, we reviewed the progress of my doctoral research, which focuses on sensemaking of academic integrity in online higher education. She introduced me to literature I had not previously encountered, which is helping me enrich my interpretation of the study’s data. Our discussions also gave me an opportunity to reconsider some aspects of my research and see my work from a different perspective.
During my stay, I also had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with other lab members who were in Calgary. These informal conversations gave me a chance to learn about their research and exchange ideas. Everyone brings a different perspective to academic integrity and ethics in higher education, making these conversations an important part of the visit.
Postplagiarism Research Lab members gather for a lunch organized by Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton during Paola’s visit to the University of Calgary.
As part of my visit, I presented the progress of my doctoral thesis to Dr. Sarah and received feedback on my work. This helped me strengthen the direction of my research and, by the end of the visit, I had finished refining my Results and Discussion chapter.
Beyond the academic work, I enjoyed exploring the University of Calgary campus and the city itself. The University’s facilities are impressive, and walking through such a large and vibrant campus was an experience in itself.
This visit reaffirmed something I deeply value as a researcher: international collaboration is not only about exchanging literature, methodologies, or research ideas. It is also about connecting with a community of scholars who share similar questions and interests, even when we are thousands of kilometres apart.
I am deeply grateful to Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton and to the members of the Postplagiarism Research Lab who generously shared their time with me during my visit. I hope this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration.
Postplagiarism 
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