Abstract
Academic integrity is the basis of an education system and must be taught as an ethical behavior during academic training. Students who reflect honesty and truthfulness during the academic years are more likely to follow this path, develop professional integrity, and thus become responsible and dependable professionals. Here, we determine the prevalence of academic lapses among medical students by a cross-sectional descriptive survey based on a self-assessment questionnaire. Students' perception of 37 behaviors comprising five domains, plagiarism, indolence, cheating, disruptive behavior, and falsifying data, were explored. A high percentage of students (83%) indicated that all 37 behaviors constitute misconduct. Approximately 65% of students thought that their fellow students were involved in dishonest behaviors, and 34% answered that they were indulged in some form of misconduct. Content analysis identified some prevalent behaviors such as doing work for another student (82.5%), getting information from the students who already took the exam (82.5%), copying the answer from neighbors (79%), and marking attendance for absent friends (74.5%). Multiple regression analysis points out that future indulgence in a behavior is significantly (p ≤ 0.5) correlated with understanding a behavior as wrong, perceiving that others do it and whether one has already indulged in it. This study can serve as a diagnostic tool to analyze the prevalence of misconduct and a foothold to develop the medical school system's ethical guidelines.
Highlights
Academic integrity is the basis of an education system and must be taught as an ethical behavior during academic training
Multiple regression analysis points out that future indulgence in a behavior is significantly (p ≤ 0.5) correlated with understanding a behavior as wrong, perceiving that others do it and whether one has already indulged in it. is study can serve as a diagnostic tool to analyze the prevalence of misconduct and a foothold to develop the medical school system’s ethical guidelines
With commercialization and profitability seeping into the society, academic and professional misconduct behaviors have soared in developing countries. is is evident by reports of unethical practices, incompetence, and lack of responsibility in the medical profession [1, 2]
Summary
Academic integrity is the basis of an education system and must be taught as an ethical behavior during academic training. Quite a few studies report the prevalence of one or other kinds of academic misconduct in medical colleges worldwide [2, 3]. Medical professionals are desired to be competent and adhering to moral practices Such qualities as professionals are underpinned by the stringency of academic training, development of understanding, and practice. It is observed that the lack of awareness of specific misconduct, i.e., plagiarism, among students [11], leads to indulgence in such practices. Is study focuses on understanding the cause of academic misconduct, which may help in devising appropriate correction methodology to avoid or amend behavior discords [15]. We evaluated 37 types of academic misconduct and assessed how the perception of a particular behavior affects its prevalence. We carried out correlation analyses to understand the relatedness of different misconduct behaviors to each other
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