Factors influencing plagiarism in higher education: A comparison of German and Slovene students

PLoS One. 2018 Aug 10;13(8):e0202252. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202252. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Over the past decades, plagiarism has been classified as a multi-layer phenomenon of dishonesty that occurs in higher education. A number of research papers have identified a host of factors such as gender, socialisation, efficiency gain, motivation for study, methodological uncertainties or easy access to electronic information via the Internet and new technologies, as reasons driving plagiarism. The paper at hand examines whether such factors are still effective and if there are any differences between German and Slovene students' factors influencing plagiarism. A quantitative paper-and-pencil survey was carried out in Germany and Slovenia in 2017/2018 academic year, with a sample of 485 students from higher education institutions. The major findings of this research reveal that easy access to information-communication technologies and the Web is the main reason driving plagiarism. In that regard, there are no significant differences between German and Slovene students in terms of personal factors such as gender, motivation for study, and socialisation. In this sense, digitalisation and the Web outrank national borders.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Germany
  • Humans
  • Information Technology
  • Internet
  • Motivation
  • Plagiarism*
  • Sex Factors
  • Slovenia
  • Socialization
  • Stress, Psychological
  • Students / psychology*
  • Universities
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

MP was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (Grant Nos. J1-7009 and P5-0027), http://www.arrs.gov.si/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.