Awareness of Faculty Members with the Concepts and Examples of Academic Misconduct; Study Case: Islamic Azad University, Yadgar Imam Khomeini Branch

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Human Science Faculty, Islamic Azad University, Yadegar-e Emam Khomeini (RAH) Share-Rey

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the level of awareness among the faculty Members of Islamic Azad University, Yadgar Imam Khomeini Branch, with the concepts and examples of scientific misconduct.
Methods: The method of this research is descriptive, survey in terms of execution, and practical in terms of purpose. Research data was collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a group of expert professors and its reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha of 0.788 Calculated. The statistical population includes all faculty members of Islamic Azad University, Yadgar Imam Khomeini Branch, who work full-time with this branch. Due to the large number of faculty members, the studied sample was calculated using Cochran's formula according to the expertise of the faculty members, and according to the nature of the problem and the research hypotheses, it was selected using stratified-random sampling method. Data analysis was done in two parts: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (Kruskal-Walli’s test) using SPSS version 20 software.
Results: Based on the results, the level of knowledge of faculty Members with the concepts and examples of Scientific misconduct (fabrication, falsification and plagiarism) is above average and in a relatively favorable condition. However, among these three components, their awareness of the concept of fabrication was less than the other two components.
Conclusions: Based on the results, there is no significant difference between the knowledge of the concepts and examples of research misconduct (Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism) with the specialty, scientific and academic rank of faculty members; and the most important proposed solution to reduce scientific misconduct is to create and holding mandatory training courses to familiarize faculty members and students with the concepts and examples of research misconduct.

Keywords

References

References
Bailey, J. (2013). Plagiarism and the pulpit: when religion meets attribute. Retrieved form http://www.plagiarismtoday.com
Carafoli, E. (2015). Scientific misconduct: the dark side of science. Rendiconti Lincei, 26, 369–382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-015-0415-4
Gasparyan A. Y., Nurmashev, B., Seksenbayev, B., Trukhachev, V. I., Kostyukova, E. I. & Kitas, G. D. (2017). Plagiarism in the Context of Education and Evolving Detection Strategies. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 32(8), 1220-1227. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2017.32.8.1220
Holm, S., & Hofmann, B. (2018). Associations between attitudes towards scientific misconduct and self-reported behavior. Accountability in Research, 25(5), 290-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2018.1485493
Khadilkar, S. S. (2018). Scientific misconduct: A global concern. The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India, 68(5), 331-335. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13224-018-1175-8
Kwong, T., Ng, H., Mark, K., & Wong, E. (2010). Students' and faculty's perception of academic integrity in Hong Kong. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 27(5), 341-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650741011087766
Nurunnabi, M., & Hossain, M. A. (2019). Data falsification and question on academic integrity. Accountability in Research, 26(2),108-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2018.1564664
Okonta, P., & Rossouw, T. (2014). Misconduct in research: A descriptive survey of attitudes, Perceptions and associated factors in a developing country. BMC medical Ethics,15(25), 341-359.
Pritchett, S.  (2010). Perceptions about plagiarism between faculty and undergraduate students. (Dissertation). Alliant International University, San Diego.
Rokni, M. B., Bizhani, N., Habibzadeh, F., Farhud, D. D., Mohammadi, N., & Alizadeh, A. (2020). Comprehensive survey of plagiarism in Iran. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36(7), 1441-1448. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.7.3456
Sarlauskiene, L. & Stabingis, L. (2014). Understanding of plagiarism by the students in HEIs of Lithuania. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 110, 638-646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.908
Shaghaghi, M., & Vasfi, M. R. (2019). An investigation into the underpinning factors of plagiarism among universities in Iran. Libri, 69(3), 201-212. https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2017-0100
Tijdink, J. K., Verbeke, R. & Smulders, Y. M. (2014). Publication pressure and scientific misconduct in medical scientists. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 9(5), 64-71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1556264614552421
Academic Librarianship and Information Research
Volume 56, Issue 4
December 2022
Pages 53-68

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics