Perceptions of Nursing Students towards Plagiarism

Abstract

This research study was conducted on “Perceptions of Nursing Students towards Plagiarism” at three private Nursing Institutions in Karachi. The objective of the study was to explore the understanding of nursing students towards plagiarism. Plagiarism is prevalent in academia. Nursing students commit plagiarism due to various reasons, such as a lack of understanding and a lack of academic writing skills. Qualitative research methodology as a research design was applied and the phenomenological study method was used to understand if nursing students knew about plagiarism or not. The collected data through semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically. The findings of the study showed that the participants did not have a clear understanding of plagiarism. They were unaware of the types of plagiarism and they had no idea how to avoid plagiarism. The study recommends that courses on preventing plagiarism should be designed and taught to nursing students to enhance their understanding towards plagiarism.