Scholarlink

<p>Plagiarism is a significant violation of academic integrity, becoming increasingly common in medical schools worldwide. Plagiarism is the act of appropriation or copying someone else’s written, artistic, or other creative work as your own, either in part or in whole, without specifying the source or authorship of the original. This study aimed to promote academic integrity and best practices in medical education. Specifically, it investigated the attitudes of Egyptian and Saudi medical students towards plagiarism and identified factors contributing to this behavior using mixed-methods approach. Attitudes Towards Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaire, a validated online tool, was used to assess students’ attitudes. Additionally, two focus group discussions were held, analyzed thematically to explore factors contributing to plagiarism. A total of 387 students participated in the survey, 73.9% had not received previous plagiarism training. The results indicated that majority of students scored in the moderate range for all components of the ATP scale. Overall mean scores for Egyptian and Saudi students were: positive attitude (35, 33), negative attitude (23, 22), and subjective norms (31, 30). Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions identified three key themes: Understanding Plagiarism, Drivers of Plagiarism, and Proactive Preventive Measures. The study concluded that Egyptian and Saudi medical students exhibited similar attitudes towards plagiarism, with the highest scores for positive attitudes. Factors contributing to plagiarism included language barriers, inadequate academic writing skills, heavy workloads, and grade-oriented assessment systems. The study also highlighted the dual role of technology. Findings suggest the need for educational policies that integrate structured plagiarism awareness programs, targeted academic writing training, and continuous research ethics education into the medical curriculum. Institutions should also align assessment systems and academic integrity policies to address identified drivers of plagiarism. To combat plagiarism effectively on a global scale, a comprehensive strategy, that involves raising awareness about plagiarism consequences, enhancing research ethics education, enforcing academic integrity policies, and continuously advancing anti-plagiarism technologies, is needed. Such targeted interventions, informed by this study’s results, can guide medical schools in developing sustainable training programs and institutional measures to foster a culture of academic honesty.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Bad Apples or Bad Barrels? Undergraduate Medical Students’ Attitude Towards Plagiarism

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月21日

查看全文
  • Asmaa Abdelnasser,
  • Enjy Abouzeid,
  • Enas M. A. Mostafa,
  • Manal Ibrahim Hanafi Mahmoud,
  • Nourhan F. Wasfy,
  • Shaimaa A. Shehata

摘要

Plagiarism is a significant violation of academic integrity, becoming increasingly common in medical schools worldwide. Plagiarism is the act of appropriation or copying someone else’s written, artistic, or other creative work as your own, either in part or in whole, without specifying the source or authorship of the original. This study aimed to promote academic integrity and best practices in medical education. Specifically, it investigated the attitudes of Egyptian and Saudi medical students towards plagiarism and identified factors contributing to this behavior using mixed-methods approach. Attitudes Towards Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaire, a validated online tool, was used to assess students’ attitudes. Additionally, two focus group discussions were held, analyzed thematically to explore factors contributing to plagiarism. A total of 387 students participated in the survey, 73.9% had not received previous plagiarism training. The results indicated that majority of students scored in the moderate range for all components of the ATP scale. Overall mean scores for Egyptian and Saudi students were: positive attitude (35, 33), negative attitude (23, 22), and subjective norms (31, 30). Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions identified three key themes: Understanding Plagiarism, Drivers of Plagiarism, and Proactive Preventive Measures. The study concluded that Egyptian and Saudi medical students exhibited similar attitudes towards plagiarism, with the highest scores for positive attitudes. Factors contributing to plagiarism included language barriers, inadequate academic writing skills, heavy workloads, and grade-oriented assessment systems. The study also highlighted the dual role of technology. Findings suggest the need for educational policies that integrate structured plagiarism awareness programs, targeted academic writing training, and continuous research ethics education into the medical curriculum. Institutions should also align assessment systems and academic integrity policies to address identified drivers of plagiarism. To combat plagiarism effectively on a global scale, a comprehensive strategy, that involves raising awareness about plagiarism consequences, enhancing research ethics education, enforcing academic integrity policies, and continuously advancing anti-plagiarism technologies, is needed. Such targeted interventions, informed by this study’s results, can guide medical schools in developing sustainable training programs and institutional measures to foster a culture of academic honesty.