Plagiarism, Cheating and Research Integrity: Case Studies from a Masters Program in Peru

Abstract

Plagiarism is a serious, yet widespread type of research misconduct, and is often neglected in developing countries. Despite its far-reaching implications, plagiarism is poorly acknowledged and discussed in the academic setting, and insufficient evidence exists in Latin America and developing countries to inform the development of preventive strategies. In this context, we present a longitudinal case study of seven instances of plagiarism and cheating arising in four consecutive classes (2011–2014) of an Epidemiology Masters program in Lima, Peru, and describes the implementation and outcomes of a multifaceted, “zero-tolerance” policy aimed at introducing research integrity. Two cases involved cheating in graded assignments, and five cases correspond to plagiarism in the thesis protocol. Cases revealed poor awareness of high tolerance to plagiarism, poor academic performance, and widespread writing deficiencies, compensated with patchwriting and copy-pasting. Depending on the events’ severity, penalties included course failure (6/7) and separation from the program (3/7). Students at fault did not engage in further plagiarism. Between 2011 and 2013, the Masters program sequentially introduced a preventive policy consisting of: (i) intensified research integrity and scientific writing education, (ii) a stepwise, cumulative writing process; (iii) honor codes; (iv) active search for plagiarism in all academic products; and (v) a “zero-tolerance” policy in response to documented cases. No cases were detected in 2014. In conclusion, plagiarism seems to be widespread in resource-limited settings and a greater response with educational and zero-tolerance components is needed to prevent it.

Knowledge and attitude towards plagiarism: a comparative study of students from medical and non-medical fields

“…Consistent with this finding, plagiarism is reported quite frequently in the early stages of a researcher's career 14 whereas relatively fewer studies report such incidences in students of higher grades with more research experience. 15 Furthermore, the study by Shirazi et al (2010) 7 discussed herein also revealed a better understanding of self-plagiarism among faculty members in contrast to medical students due to differences in prior research experiences.…”

The Evolution of Mentorship Capacity Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Case Studies from Peru, Kenya, India, and Mozambique

“…Four cases of plagiarism ( N = 2) and cheating ( N = 2) in a master’s program at UPCH led to the realization of the extent of research and academic misconduct events observed and the need for research integrity awareness and training. 9 Greater attention was given to potential research misconduct events, and responsible conduct of research (RCR) training was enhanced, with curricula that included lectures on the role of mentoring as a mechanism to prevent misconduct. In addition, a mentoring program was established in 2012 at the U.S.…”

“…Content was developed in part to address the previously described plagiarism and cheating cases observed in a local academic program and includes brief examinations and a completion diploma. 9 In 2015, the Peruvian National Science and Technology Council (CONCYTEC for its acronym in Spanish) launched a new policy requiring CRI completion to apply for grant opportunities and be registered as investigators. 11,12 In 2017, UPCH added the CRI completion requirement for students, faculty, and investigators applying to grants or requesting institutional review board (IRB) review.…”

A Mexican strategy to promote greater ethics in academic communications through nation-wide access to Turnitin

“…However, there is limited research on the topic within Latin America. Plagiarism is characterized as a widespread misconduct, but it “is poorly acknowledged and discussed in the academic setting, and insufficient evidence exists in Latin America and developing countries to inform the development of preventive strategies” (Carnero et al, 2017: 1183).…”