Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Academic Plagiarism in Peruvian Dental Students

Valdez-Jurado F.R. · Revista Cubana de Informacion en Ciencias de la Salud (2025)

Resumen

Introduction: Among the ethical aspects of developing academic work and research projects, academic plagiarism is a critical issue to consider. Objective: To identify the knowledge and attitudes of dental students regarding academic plagiarism in the Peruvian university setting. Methods: The study included 225 students from the dental school, randomly selected from the total number enrolled in the 2020-2021 academic year at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Perceptions were assessed using a scale of attitudes and knowledge regarding aspects of academic plagiarism. All information was collected using a Google Forms template, sent to participants via institutional email. Data were analyzed in Stata version 17 with measures of central tendency and dispersion, and a Pearson correlation test for correlation. Results: Out of the total participants, 50.2% had a fair level and 36.4% had a poor level. Attitudes were neutral in 51.1% of cases and favorable in 48.9%. A significant correlation was identified among knowledge scores and attitudes (r = 0.5; p = 0.03). The level of knowledge was associated with age, sex, and scientific publication experience; attitudes were associated with age and publication experience (p < 0.05). It is concluded that participants had inadequate levels of knowledge but neutral and favorable attitudes. Furthermore, a significant relationship was identified among knowledge scores and attitudes. Conclusions: Based on the results, it is necessary for universities to engage students in ethical aspects of research, implementing strategies to mitigate academic plagiarism practices.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal