Dynamics of plagiarism among the social sciences students at Kuwait University

PurposeThis study investigated the factors contributing to the reduction of plagiarism. It focuses on elucidating the concept of plagiarism, its legal and ethical implications, the punitive measures implemented to address plagiarism and the level of awareness of plagiarism policies.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was administered to 649 students (160 male, 489 female) of the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University (KU) to investigate the relationships between a number of factors linked to plagiarism, including its definition, legal and ethical implications, understanding of plagiarism regulations and the consequences associated with plagiarism.FindingsThe aforementioned factors and underlying causes that contribute to engaging in plagiarism were substantially correlated. Regression analysis revealed that variables such as legal and ethical considerations, familiarity with plagiarism regulations and the existence of sanctions were statistically significant predictors of the factors contributing to the occurrence of plagiarism.Practical implicationsThe findings can help the Kuwait University administration and similar universities in the region focus on increasing students' awareness of plagiarism and can aid in developing better policies that include the definition of plagiarism and penalties for undertaking this academic misconduct.Originality/valueThis study shows universities the importance of increasing students' awareness of academic misconduct and can help create appropriate and robust policies.