Academic integrity: Do socio-demographic differences in perception and awareness of plagiarism matter?

Abstract

Academic integrity has become one of the most discussed issues in higher education over the past decade. When writing research outputs, students increasingly search for easy fixes. The awareness and perception of plagiarism among postgraduate students and probable socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, and academic level disparities were discussed. This study focuses on a sample of 1054 postgraduate students in a developing country. The collected data were analysed using Statistical Product and Service Solutions, and the proposed hypothesis was tested using a Structural Equation Modeling approach. The findings showed a statistically significant difference between postgraduate students’ academic level and their awareness of plagiarism. However, neither the postgraduate students’ gender nor on academic level significantly affected the perceived reasons for engaging in plagiarism. Implications for academic managers, librarians, lecturers, postgraduate students, and researchers are also provided.