Abstract:
Plagiarism is a common problem, especially in the electronic information world. It
has an adverse impact on academic integrity. Plagiarism has drawn the attention of
many academic institutions to implement actions to reduce it. The study aimed to
assess the students' perspectives on plagiarism detection among the final year
undergraduates of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Jaffna. A
cross-sectional survey was conducted using questionnaires among all the final year
undergraduates (168) of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. The data was
analyzed using descriptive statistics, and a one-sample Wilcoxon signed-rank test
in SPSS. The results indicated that 86% of the undergraduates have a good
understanding of plagiarism. The majority of the students (90%) responded that
knowledge about plagiarism is an important concept in their study programme.
The analysis revealed that the students' attitudes toward plagiarism detection
were significantly positive (p < 0.05) and that the students positively perceived
the introduction of the plagiarism detection tool in the undergraduate study
programme. Eighty-six percent (86%) of students said the iThenticate detection
tool gives them the confidence to write quality reports at the end. The majority of
the students (83 %) responded that it was difficult to rewrite the report to reduce
the percentage of similarity. The paper concludes with a recommendation that the
undergraduate students of Allied Health Sciences need training in academic writing
skills and a detailed demonstration of the iThenticate detection tool. The findings
of the study can help academics to implement the necessary actions to support
students in reducing plagiarism.
