Plagiarism in theses: A nationwide concern from the perspective of university instructors

The present study aimed to delve into the perceptions of Iranian university instructors concerning the reasons for the prevalence of plagiarism in Iranian students' theses. A self-designed questionnaire was completed by 291 instructors in different universities in Iran and the obtained data were analyzed quantitatively. Additionally, six participants took part in a semi-structured interview and the obtained statements were recorded and analyzed qualitatively. The findings revealed that motivation, social environment, self-efficacy, institutional regulations, supervision and control of theses, culture, creativity, education, technology, and socioeconomic status, respectively, are the underlying factors affecting plagiarism. In addition, we found that there is a significant difference between university instructors with different academic ranks regarding their perceptions of the impact of personal characteristics on the incidence of plagiarism. Based on the results, we should consider plagiarism not only as an issue related to students but also to faculty members. As such, we need to take the ideas of both groups into account to uproot the problem.