Nexus of Plagiarism Practice and Academic Integrity in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63561/fnas-jmse.v7i2.1092Keywords:
Academic Integrity, Nigeria, Plagiarism, South-west, Tertiary InstitutionsAbstract
Nigeria is not an exception to the issue of plagiarism, as a major problem for universities around the world, compromising academic integrity and educational standards. This study examined the prevalence of plagiarism among tertiary institutions' students and lecturers, factors responsible for a high level of plagiarism, its impact on educational integrity and quality, and strategies needed for achieving academic integrity and thus reducing plagiarism. Using Google Forms to collect data from 171 students and faculty members in selected Nigerian tertiary institutions, a descriptive survey was adopted. Descriptive statistics involving percentages, mean, and standard deviation were utilized to analyze data. The findings reveal that university lecturers’ involvement in plagiarism is higher than their counterparts in the Colleges of Education and the Polytechnics. It also identified significant factors contributing to Plagiarism, which are a lack of institutional enforcement, inadequate policies, pressure to meet academic deadlines, and an inability to identify different forms of Plagiarism. Similarly, it identified five significant impacts of Plagiarism to include prioritization over academic honesty, unchecked plagiarism practices, difficulty in global ranking, poor credibility of academic research, and hindrance to national development. It recommended integrating plagiarism detection software like Turnitin in the schools, providing a model of academic integrity by faculty members, training in academic writing and referencing, strict enforcement of anti-plagiarism policies, and putting a plagiarism policy in place. It concluded that management should conduct regular workshops, seminars, and training for staff on proper citation, referencing, and research ethics, and they should ensure the consistent application of anti-plagiarism rules with clear consequences for violations.
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