Knowledge of library and information science undergraduates on plagiarism in federal universities in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the knowledge of Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduates towards plagiarism in Federal Universities in South-East Nigeria. The study determined LIS undergraduates’ level of knowledge on plagiarism, and explored their level of knowledge based on their year of study. Two research questions guided the study and one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. A descriptive research survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 868 undergraduates which included 2021/2022 undergraduates of LIS departments in Federal Universities in South-East Nigeria. The sample size of 274 was selected using the Taro Yamane formula and proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A validated instrument titled Cognitive Test on Students Knowledge of Plagiarism (CTSKP) adapted from Gharedaghi et al (2013) was used for data collection. The reliability of the instrument was established through the Kudder-Richardson (K-R20) formula, yielding a high reliability coefficient of 0.88. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to answer research questions and test hypothesis. The findings of the study among others revealed a moderate knowledge of plagiarism among LIS undergraduates with knowledge variations across academic years. It was recommended among others that LIS educators should augment the curriculum with focused courses on plagiarism, fostering academic integrity.