In a comprehensive study exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic integrity, research reveals a significant surge in plagiarism rates during the crisis. Conducted across 42 academic institutions in Israel, this research tracked over 25,000 written assignments from 2019 to 2023, providing a unique comparative analysis of plagiarism behavior before, during, and after the pandemic.
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| Rising Plagiarism Rates in Higher Education: A Deep Dive into the Impact of COVID-19 |
The study, led by Dr. Yovav Eshet from Zefat Academic College, uses an advanced plagiarism detection tool, Originality, to assess the academic dishonesty behavior of undergraduates across various disciplines and institutions. It was found that while plagiarism rates remained stable before and after the pandemic, a notable spike occurred during the pandemic's height, reflecting the drastic shift to online learning and Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT).
Plagiarism rates increased by over 10% in some academic fields during the pandemic, with assignments written in English showing the highest levels of academic dishonesty. The study attributes this to a variety of factors, including stress, lack of supervision, and the temptation to copy during an era where academic assessments moved online without proper guidance.
Eshet’s research highlights significant discrepancies across disciplines, with students in the humanities showing the most notable rise in plagiarism, especially during the height of the pandemic. However, the study also found that post-pandemic plagiarism rates returned to near pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that educational systems are slowly adapting to the new normal.
Interestingly, the study also revealed that the quality of academic integrity is often linked to institutional rankings. Higher-ranked universities saw a lower prevalence of plagiarism, likely due to better resources, academic support, and a more rigorous adherence to ethical standards. However, lower-ranked institutions showed a considerable increase in plagiarism rates during and after the pandemic.
Eshet's work also addresses the issue of multilingual plagiarism, with assignments written in Arabic and Hebrew exhibiting lower plagiarism rates than those written in English. This finding points to challenges students face when writing in a non-native language, which may affect their understanding of proper citation and paraphrasing practices.
As higher education grapples with the aftereffects of the pandemic, the study calls for a broader focus on improving academic integrity policies. Institutions are urged to develop comprehensive emergency teaching plans, emphasizing the importance of academic writing literacy, especially for non-native English speakers. Further, Eshet suggests that more research is needed to understand the long-term implications of digital tools and AI-based writing assistants on plagiarism rates.
In conclusion, while the post-pandemic period has seen a "bounce-back" in plagiarism rates, the research stresses that institutions must remain vigilant in adapting to future crises, integrating robust academic integrity strategies, and reinforcing the value of ethical conduct in education.
Reference
Eshet, Y. Examining the dynamics of plagiarism: a comparative analysis before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Educ Integr 21, 3 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00178-z
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