The Subjective Reality of the Reasons behind Plagiarism: A Phenomenological Analysis of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Plagiarism is considered as one of the universal issues. Different research methods have been used to understand this phenomenon globally. It is not injurious to scientific community rather it affects the society as a whole. It creates hurdles in scientific knowledge by affecting the creativity and intellectual growth of the people. The present study explored the reasons behind undergraduate student plagiarism. Qualitative phenomenological approach has been used to capture the lived experiences of undergraduate students. In-depth interviews were taken from 13 final year undergraduate students of three different faculties of a public university in Karachi. The findings show that positive attitudes towards plagiarism, poor time management, language barrier, lengthy assignments, creative suffocation and negative role of teachers are among the major reasons behind student plagiarism. These findings can be useful for academicians and policymakers to understand the root causes of plagiarism so that they can formulate effective and student friendly policies in the system.