Knowledge and Attitude of Saudi Students towards Plagiarism—A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Abstract

Background: Plagiarism (Plg) is an unacceptable practice since it affects the integrity of scientific literature. Aim and objectives: To seek students’ knowledge and attitude regarding Plg and solicit suggestions to prevent Plg in our institute. The specific objectives of the study were to ascertain whether students’ knowledge and attitudes about Plg differ by their demographic characteristics and academic years. Methodology: A 32 item questionnaire was given to all the undergraduate (UG) students of the College of Medicine and Dentistry, Jouf University, KSA. The research questions focused on demographic information, knowledge and attitude regarding Plg, and suggestions to curb Plg. Results: A total of 134 UG students filled out the survey. The samples consisted of 97 males and 37 females. Most of the students displayed adequate knowledge regarding Plg in terms of copying words or ideas, quoting references, and copying words without changing the matter. As compared to female students, male students had better awareness regarding meaningful and harmful effects of practicing Plg (p < 0.05). Additionally, our results indicate that as students climb the academic ladder, their awareness on Plg tends to rise. Common reasons for plagiarizing are discussed here together with suggestions to combat Plg. Conclusion: The results of this study can be mainly taken as an eye opener which demonstrates the vital factors pertaining to the level of students’ knowledge about Plg, and to eradicate the problem, there is a need for more discussions and training on this topic for students.

Exploring the Attitudes of Pharmacy Students in Saudi Arabia towards Plagiarism Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

“…Plagiarism comes from the Latin word “plagiarism,” which means “kidnapper” or “plunderer” [ 1 ]. It covers the use of published or unpublished data in the original language or as a translation without acknowledging the author.…”

“…It covers the use of published or unpublished data in the original language or as a translation without acknowledging the author. In the field of medicine, scientific and professional activity necessitates a high level of responsibility, absolute devotion, and serious and honest lifetime effort, and unprofessional behavior, such as scientific misconduct, can directly cause errors and harm people’s health and even their lives [ 1 , 2 ]. Plagiarism is not a new problem, nor can it be stated to be exclusive to Saudi universities; rather, it is a major source of concern for the global academic community [ 1 , 3 ].…”

“…In the field of medicine, scientific and professional activity necessitates a high level of responsibility, absolute devotion, and serious and honest lifetime effort, and unprofessional behavior, such as scientific misconduct, can directly cause errors and harm people’s health and even their lives [ 1 , 2 ]. Plagiarism is not a new problem, nor can it be stated to be exclusive to Saudi universities; rather, it is a major source of concern for the global academic community [ 1 , 3 ]. Plagiarism has received more public attention in the last two decades as a result of the extraordinary expansion of the internet and the concomitant “copy–paste culture” of generation Z students [ 1 ].…”

“…Plagiarism is not a new problem, nor can it be stated to be exclusive to Saudi universities; rather, it is a major source of concern for the global academic community [ 1 , 3 ]. Plagiarism has received more public attention in the last two decades as a result of the extraordinary expansion of the internet and the concomitant “copy–paste culture” of generation Z students [ 1 ]. Plagiarism occurs for a variety of reasons, both intentional and unintentional.…”

Plagiranje u digitalnom dobu

“…Oni su na temelju analize uzorka, uglavnom sačinjenog od pakistanskih studenata medicine, utvrdili da kod njih postoji svijest o tome što predstavlja plagiranje, ali i da ih priličan broj nije upoznat s pravilima navođenja. Prema Issrani i suradnicima (Issrani et al, 2021), za saudijske se studente također može konstatirati da posjeduju određena znanja o plagiranju, no i da imaju problema s prepoznavanjem nekih njegovih pojavnih oblika. Za razliku od navedenih istraživanja, Hu i Lei (2012) utvrdili su da tek nešto više od trećine kineskih sveučilišnih studenata smatra doslovno prepisivanje činom plagiranja.…”