Perceptions of Plagiarism among Medical and Nursing Students in Erbil, Iraq

• Published in: Sultan Qaboos University medical journal Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 196 - 201
• Main Author: Ismail , Kameran H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Muscat - Oman Sultan Qaboos University 01-05-2018; Sultan Qaboos University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences; Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, College of Medicine & Health Sciences
• Subjects: Age; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Cheating; Clinical & Basic Research; COLLEGE STUDENTS; Colleges & universities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dishonesty; Ethics; Female; Fines & penalties; FORGERY; Gender; Health education; Higher education; Humans; IRAQ; Male; MEDICAL EDUCATION; Medical students; Medicine; NURSING; Perception; Pilot Projects; Plagiarism; Questionnaires; Sex Distribution; Students, Medical - statistics & numerical data; Students, Nursing - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; SWINDLE; University students; التزوير; التعليم الطبي; التمريض; العراق; النصب و الإحتيال; طلاب الجامعات; Iraq; United States > US; Undergraduate Medical Education; Perceptions; Iraq; Plagiarism; Medical Students; Nursing Students
• ISSN: 2075-051X; 2075-0528
• DOI: 10.18295/squmj.2018.18.02.012

Objectives: The rapidly rising incidence of plagiarism among students at universities throughout the
world requires attention. This study aimed to determine the extent to which medical and nursing students in Erbil, Iraq,
plagiarise, their knowledge, understanding and perceptions of plagiarism and the underlying factors that may lead them
to plagiarise. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between January and June 2017 among a sample of
400 undergraduate medical and nursing students at Hawler Medical University in Erbil. Plagiarism-related data were
collected through a specially designed self-administered questionnaire. Results: In total, 280 (70%) medical students
and 120 (30%) nursing students were included in the study. The reported prevalence of plagiarism was 54.3%, with
a slightly higher prevalence among male students compared to female students (54.9% versus 53.8%; P = 0.820) and
medical students compared to nursing students (58.9% versus 43.3%; (P = 0.004). Alarmingly, 34.8% of the students did
not know what plagiarism was, and only 28% were aware of the legal consequences of plagiarism. Reported reasons for
plagiarising included laziness and the ease with which others’ work could be plagiarised, confusion, cultural reasons
and pressure to meet deadlines. Conclusion: There was a lack of understanding of plagiarism and its legal ramifications
among undergraduate medical and nursing students in Erbil. The findings of this study indicate that there is an urgent
need to increase students’ understanding of plagiarism and its consequences so as to reduce the incidence of this type of
academic misconduct.