Low levels of knowledge and attitudes towards plagiarism among university instructors and graduate students in Somaliland: analysis from an online survey

Abstract

Abstract Background University instructors and graduate students in Somaliland participate in academic writing; however, no research has been conducted on their knowledge and attitudes towards plagiarism. This study examined the knowledge and attitudes towards plagiarism among university instructors and graduate students in Somaliland. Methods Between November 2022 and January 2023, an adapted online survey with 10 knowledge questions, 10 attitude statements, and open-ended questions was administered. We shared the survey link with the university faculty members and graduate students through email, and at least two reminders were made through WhatsApp and telephone calls. The reliability analysis utilized Cronbach’s alpha. Fisher’s and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to compare differences in knowledge and attitude by demographics, respectively. Results Due to the survey method, we were unable to calculate a response rate. The overall validity (Cronbach’s alpha) for knowledge (0.78) and attitude (0.77) was greater than 0.70, indicating acceptable internal consistency. Out of the 122 participants from six universities who completed the survey, only 9% had a high knowledge level (score ≥ 80%). The participants' mean attitude score was 3.3 ± 0.08 out of 10. Conclusions Somaliland's higher education faculty members and graduate students lacked adequate knowledge of and attitudes towards plagiarism. We recommend adding formal training on ethics in academic writing so that higher education institutions in Somaliland can combat this type of academic dishonesty.