Dataset Information

Plagiarism in research: a survey of African medical journals.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To examine whether regional biomedical journals in Africa had policies on plagiarism and procedures to detect it; and to measure the extent of plagiarism in their original research articles and reviews.

Design

Cross sectional survey.

Setting and participants

We selected journals with an editor-in-chief in Africa, a publisher based in a low or middle income country and with author guidelines in English, and systematically searched the African Journals Online database. From each of the 100 journals identified, we randomly selected five original research articles or reviews published in 2016.

Outcomes

For included journals, we examined the presence of plagiarism policies and whether they referred to text matching software. We submitted articles to Turnitin and measured the extent of plagiarism (copying of someone else's work) or redundancy (copying of one's own work) against a set of criteria we had developed and piloted.

Results

Of the 100 journals, 26 had a policy on plagiarism and 16 referred to text matching software. Of 495 articles, 313 (63%; 95%?CI 58 to 68) had evidence of plagiarism: 17% (83) had at least four linked copied or more than six individual copied sentences; 19% (96) had three to six copied sentences; and the remainder had one or two copied sentences. Plagiarism was more common in the introduction and discussion, and uncommon in the results.

Conclusion

Plagiarism is common in biomedical research articles and reviews published in Africa. While wholesale plagiarism was uncommon, moderate text plagiarism was extensive. This could rapidly be eliminated if journal editors implemented screening strategies, including text matching software.

SUBMITTER: Rohwer A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6231593 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Plagiarism in research: a survey of African medical journals.

Rohwer Anke A Wager Elizabeth E Young Taryn T Garner Paul P

BMJ open 20181108 11

<h4>Objectives</h4>To examine whether regional biomedical journals in Africa had policies on plagiarism and procedures to detect it; and to measure the extent of plagiarism in their original research articles and reviews.<h4>Design</h4>Cross sectional survey.<h4>Setting and participants</h4>We selected journals with an editor-in-chief in Africa, a publisher based in a low or middle income country and with author guidelines in English, and systematically searched the African Journals Online datab ...[more]

PMID: 30413518

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Dataset Information

Plagiarism in research: a survey of African medical journals.

Objectives

Design

Setting and participants

Outcomes

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Plagiarism in research: a survey of African medical journals.

Similar Datasets

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