Exploring Plagiarism Awareness, Motivation, And Intentions Within The Ayurvedic Domain

Abstract

As plagiarism is a serious offense, it is critical for researchers to examine their work for plagiarism. Consequently, this study aims to shed light on the issue of plagiarism within the Ayurveda domain, providing valuable insights into the awareness, motivations, and purposes behind plagiarism. This is an empirical study based on the primary data collected from the field of Ayurved domain using a survey approach. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics for hypothesis testing to draw conclusions. Researchers collected data from 194 participants (38% male and 62% female) with an average age 31.19 years (± 0.80) and SD 11.11 years. They included 58.76% of students, 40.72% of teachers, and 0.52% of researchers having education qualifications as 37.63%, 40.72%, and 21.65% for undergraduate (UG), Post Graduate (PG), and Doctoral (Ph.D.) respectively. Formulated four research hypotheses, through their respective sub-hypotheses, are tested for independence using parametric χ2 test of independence at 95% confidence level (α = 0.05). Awareness about plagiarism depends upon educational qualification as well as professional-category of the personnel, It is found to be in increasing order with respect to educational qualification, more in teachers than students. The motivation behind the plagiarism check was also found to be dependent upon educational qualification and professional category. Mandatory-requirement factor increases with an academic qualification and is found to be higher in teachers than students. The researcher further observed that the selection of plagiarism detection software is independent of educational qualification and professional category. It found effectiveness as the primary factor for selection followed by price. By understanding these plagiarism aspects, it is possible to develop strategies to prevent plagiarism and promote ethical research practices in the field of Ayurveda, ultimately preserving the integrity of this traditional system of medicine.