Cyber-Plagiarism Behaviour of Female LIS Postgraduate Students in Nigerian Universities: Role of Religiosity

1. Introduction

Academic dishonesty, particularly cyber-plagiarism, is becoming widespread in educational settings, largely due to the proliferation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and greater access to the Internet. Cyber-plagiarism is an unauthorised use of digital content such as text, images, and multimedia from online sources without proper attribution, (Luis-Solano, 2020). It is a form of misconduct that raises concerns,and threatens the integrity of academic research, especially at the postgraduate level. While the ICT has transformed learning and research, it has also made it easier for students/scholars to engage in dishonest practices. Several studies have identified academic pressure, competitiveness, excessive reliance on ICT and fear of failure, as contributing factors driving students/scholars to resort to cyber-plagiarism (Abbasi et al., 2020; Pantu et al., 2020; Sambo et al., 2021). Others noted that,the ease with which online contents can be copied and pasted could be cause of temptation for students struggling with academic demands (Nguyen & Kato, 2022).

Cyber-plagiarism is explained in this study from the dimensions of self-regulation and perception. Self-regulation is a construct which involves the ability to develop, implement and maintain flexible planned behaviour in order to achieve one’s goals. The second indicator of cyber-plagiarism in this study is perception. It entails the process of recognising, interpreting, and making sense of information received through the senses. It indicates a person’s understanding, interpretation and opinion about a certain idea.These factors have been taken to serve as basis for promoting or discouraging scholars from involving in unethical academic behaviour or activities.

The level of religiosity of the individual postgraduate student has also been noted as the driving force for his/her involvement in plagiarism. Religiosity encompasses an individual’s depth of religious belief, commitment to worship practices, and adherence to moral principles derived from faith (Herdian & Mildaeni, 2022). Religiosity emerges as a potential influential variable in curbing academic dishonesty. It is assumed that students with stronger religious convictions are more likely to internalise values that discourage unethical conduct, including cyber-plagiarism. Empirical evidence indicates that religiosity can function as a protective factor by reinforcing moral responsibility and ethical standards (Khan et al., 2019; Oktaviyani et al., 2022). Other studies such as those of Oktaviyani et al. (2022) and Herdian et al. (2021) found that students who actively practise religion and align with religious ideologies tend to exhibit higher levels of academic integrity. Likewise, Yaden et al. (2021) highlight that the various dimensions of religiosity; beliefs, practices, and experiences play a significant role in shaping ethical decision-making. This is particularly relevant in the case of female Library and Information Science (LIS) postgraduate students in South-West Nigeria, where religious and cultural expectations often place considerable emphasis on moral conduct.

Despite the increasing body of literature on academic misconduct, there remains a notable gap particularly with the role of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism among this specific group. The unique challenges faced by female postgraduate students—including academic workload, societal expectations, and moral dilemmas—necessitate a focused inquiry into the factors that might deter dishonest academic behaviour. Thus, this study examined the influence of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism behaviour among female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West Nigeria. By exploring this relationship, the study would be able to establish the role of religious belief, values and practices, particularly those shaped by religious commitment and their contribution in promoting academic integrity.

2. Literature Review

Religiosity refers to the depth of an individual's religious knowledge, strength of belief, commitment to worship, and adherence to religious rules (Herdian & Mildeani, 2022). It encompasses beliefs, values, and behaviours motivated by spiritual influences, blending knowledge, emotions, and actions. Research indicates that religiosity can significantly affect unethical academic practices, including cyber-plagiarism (Khan et al., 2019; Onu et al., 2019). For instance, Muslim students who regularly attend prayers demonstrate ethical behaviour rooted in self-regulation, which extends to their academic conduct (Khan et al., 2019). Similarly, Christian students engaged in religious activities, like church attendance, show stronger academic integrity, likely due to reinforced values guiding ethical behaviour (Nelson et al., 2017).

A number of studies have investigated the relationship between religiosity and cyber-plagiarism behaviour, generally indicating that higher levels of religiosity are associated with reduced academic dishonesty. Prominent among which includes Oktaviyani et al. (2022) that studied the influence of religiosity on the academic dishonesty of 251 Madrasah Ibtidaiyah students in Indonesia and found that students with strong personal religious practices, ideological beliefs, and religious experiences were less likely to engage in academic dishonesty, including cyber-plagiarism. Religiosity was viewed as a protective factor enhancing moral and ethical behaviour. Similarly, Khan et al. (2019) suggested that religiosity fosters moral responsibility, thereby discouraging unethical academic practices. However, Huelsman et al. (2006) reported no significant correlation between religiosity and dishonesty, indicating that other factors may influence ethical decision-making. Hadjar (2017) added that personal religious practices have a greater deterrent effect on dishonest behaviour than public practices.

Ridwan and Diantimala (2021) further examined Indonesian university students and found that religious knowledge and participation in religious activities were associated with lower instances of academic misconduct. Students with strong internal control and high religiosity demonstrated more ethical behaviour, suggesting religiosity plays a stronger role than personality traits in discouraging cyber-plagiarism. Hamdani et al. (2022) applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to assess how religiosity moderates academic misconduct. They found that religiosity had a direct negative effect on students’ intentions to cheat, including cyber-plagiarism. However, religiosity did not significantly moderate the relationships between TPB constructs (attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms) and cheating intentions, implying its influence operates more independently.

Herdian et al. (2021) explored religiosity and academic stress among 277 students at Islamic universities. Their findings showed that religiosity negatively correlated with academic dishonesty, while academic stress was positively associated with it. This highlights the combined impact of internal (religious values) and external (academic pressure) influences on students’ ethical choices. Dossi et al. (2022) conducted a systematic review on religiosity, spirituality, and internet addiction, which provides indirect insights into cyber-plagiarism. They found that religiosity generally acts as a protective factor against problematic digital behaviours by promoting self-control, moral values, and accountability. However, the influence of spirituality was more variable, especially when perceived through a judgmental lens. Herdian and Mildaeni (2022), using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS-15), examined 142 Muslim university students and reported a significant negative relationship between religiosity and academic dishonesty. They reported that religiosity explained 9.9% of the variance, suggesting that while its effect size is modest, it remains a notable internal influence on ethical academic conduct exists. Literature suggest that religiosity particularly personal and ideological dimensions play a vital role in reducing cyber-plagiarism behaviour by reinforcing ethical standards. However, the extent of its influence varies, and other factors such as academic stress and personal responsibility may contribute to students’ academic integrity.

3. Methodology

Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Mixed method (quantitative and qualitative)approach was adopted to examine the role of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female Library and Information Science (LIS) postgraduate students insix universities (Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State; Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State; Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun; University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State) in South-West Nigeria.The population consisted of 356 female LIS postgraduate students across the six universities offering Masters in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Masters of Philosophy in Library and Information Science (MPhil) and Doctoral (PhD) programmes from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 academic sessions. The dataset used for the study was in congruence with the enrolment records maintained by the postgraduate colleges in the six universities in the year 2025. Total enumeration method was employed due to their manageable size. The study used a modified questionnaire tagged “Religiosity and Cyber-Plagiarism Behaviour of Female LIS Postgraduate Students” (RACPB). An in-depth interviewguideconstitute the second instrument used for the study. Copies of questionnaire were administered physically to female LIS postgraduate students in their respective universities and retrieved immediately. Indepth interview was conducted among the class leaders of the students to complement the responses. Of the 356 copies of questionnaire administered, only 287(80.61%) were found usable for the study and the quantitative data analysis was based on this number. Descriptive and thematic analyses were used for the data. The results of the analyses are as presented in Tables 1-5 and thematically.

4. Result Presentation

The analysis of the data gathered for the study begins with the description of the respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics.

The results as shown in Table 1 revealed that the University of Ibadan (UI) had the highest respondent representation at 35.2%, while Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) had the lowest at 2.1%. The distribution of respondents was proportional to the number of female LIS postgraduate students across the six universities studied, indicating significant representation. Most respondents were enrolled in master's degree programmes (66.6%), with the least being MPhil candidates (4.9%). Age distribution showed that the majority of respondents were aged 20-30 years (42.9%), while only 4.5% were 53 years and older. This demographic data suggests that the female LIS postgraduate students were predominantly mature adults, who easily comprehended and responded effectively to the survey questions. Overall, the demographic characteristics indicate a homogenous group among the respondents, facilitating appropriate responses to the study.

Table 1.

Demographic characteristics of the respondents

4.1. Answers to the Research Questions

The specific objectives of the study with the corresponding questions were addressed. The data collected for the objectives were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation scores. The analyses of the data were as presented:

1) Research Question One: What is the level of cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West, Nigeria? The level of cyber plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students was measured in the constituents of self-regulation and perceptions with the results presented in Tables 2a and b respectively.

Table 2a.

Cyber-plagiarism behaviour (Self-regulation) of the Respondents

The cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students in universities South-West Nigeria presented in Table 2a was measured using self-regulation as indicator. The results showed a high level of self-regulation, with a weighted mean of 3.13, indicating that the majority of respondents are mindful of academic honesty. The results also showed that they are often mindful of not copying verbatim from online sources (x̄= 3.31) and planning their research and writing processes to avoid last-minute pressures that could lead to plagiarism (x̄= 3.24). Overall, the findings indicate that female LIS postgraduate students exhibit a moderate level of cyber-plagiarism behaviour, with a strong emphasis on self-regulation. The overall weighted mean of 2.92 suggests that while self-regulation is high.

Table 2b.

Cyber-plagiarismbehaviour (perception) of the Respondents

Perception was also employed to measure the cyber-plagiarism behaviour and the results showed in Table 2b, reflected a moderate weighted mean of 2.70. While many respondents viewed cyber-plagiarism as a breach of academic ethics x̄ = 3.05) and an act of copyright infringement (x̄= 3.17), some believed it does not constitute cheating (= 2.45). Overall, the findings indicate that female LIS postgraduate students exhibit a moderate level of cyber-plagiarism behaviour, with a strong emphasis on perception. Though, the overall findings suggest that perceptions of cyber-plagiarism vary, highlighting differing views on its severity as an academic offense.

2) Research Question Two: What is the level of religiosity of female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West, Nigeria?

The level of religiosity of female LIS postgraduate students was tested and the analysis of the data collected was as shown in Tables 3a-c (See Appendix I).

The results of the analysis presented in Tables 3a-3c showed the findings on the level of religiosity of female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West Nigeria. Their level of religiosity was assessed through three indicators: religious values, practices and experiences. The results indicate a moderate level of religious practices, with a weighted mean of 2.89. This suggests that while the students engage in religious practices, such as daily prayers and observing religious traditions, their level of involvement is still moderate. Many respondents noted that their daily prayers influence their reluctance to engage in unethical academic practices, like inappropriate use of AI tools (x̄= 3.11). Most respondents affirmed that their religious principles significantly discourage cheating, even under pressure (x̄= 3.34), and that religious teachings guide their academic decisions, restraining them from engaging in an unintentional plagiarism (x̄ = 3.23). Additionally, the weighted mean for religious experiences was 3.10, reflecting a high level of personal religious experiences that limit participation in cyber-plagiarism. Overall, the findings suggest that female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West Nigeria exhibit a high level of religiosity.

4.2 Test of the hypothesis

The hypothesis tested was to establish the influence of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students. Regression analysis was performed in order to establish the influence of independent variable on the dependent variable. The hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance.

Table 4.

Religiosity and cyber-plagiarism behaviour of the Respondents

The result of hypothesis showed that that religiosity (β=0.49, p < 0.05) has positive and significant influence on cyber-plagiarism behaviour among female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West, Nigeria (F(1,285)=89.38).The null hypothesis (H01) is therefore rejected.

4.3 Schematic Summary

The schematic summary was undertaken to illustrate the postulated influence of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism behaviour. The statistical results depict the significance of the hypothesis directed the study.

The indicators of religiosity (practices, religious values and religious experiences) were regressed against cyber-plagiarism behaviour as shown. These indicators were used in the multiple regression model and the result showed that religious values(β=0.48,p<0.05)andreligiousexperiences(β= .33, p < 0.05) had significant positive influence on cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate

students in universities in South-West, Nigeria (F (3, 283) 81=38.88,p<0.05).Religious values had the highest contribution to the influence recorded among the three indices. The result further showed that when taken the religious practices, values and experiences together, they jointly accounted for 28.4% (Adj. R2 = 0.28) of the changes in cyber-plagiarism behaviour. This result therefore, suggests that religiosity influence cyber-plagiarism behaviours among female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West, Nigeria.

Fig. 1

Schematic summary of religiosity (practices, experience and values) on cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-west Nigeria

4.4 Reports of the Interview

An in-depth interview (IDI) was conducted on class leaders that represent the female LIS postgraduate students in the six studied universities. The interview guide was structured in line with the study's objectives. Particular attention was paid to the influence of religiosity on cyber plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students in universities in South-West Nigeria. The report of the in-depth interview conducted on the six participants was analysed thematically as shown in Table 5. The issues bothering on awareness, religious practices, values and experience were broken down into themes, sub-themes and code for ease of reference.

Table 5.

Thematic Analysis Results for influence of religiosity on cyber-plagiarism behaviour of female LIS postgraduate students (See analysis Interview extracts at the Table bottom)

5. Discussion of the Findings

This study investigated the cyber-plagiarism behaviour and religiosity of female Library and Information Science (LIS) postgraduate students in universities in South-West Nigeria. The findings revealed a moderate level of cyber-plagiarism behaviour, characterized by a notably high level of self-regulation among students. Self-regulation covers their ability to plan, monitor, and control actions. It emerged as a crucial factor in deterring cyber-plagiarism. Many respondents indicated that their academic conduct was influenced by strong internal mechanisms, including ethical awareness and effective time management. This aligns with Elshafei and Jahangir (2020), who found Turkish university students with better self-regulation and ethical awareness and concluded that they less likely to engage in academic dishonesty. Additionally, Bandura’s (1991) theory of moral self-regulation supports the idea that individuals internalize standards of conduct to inhibit unethical decisions such as plagiarism. The perception of cyber-plagiarism among the students was moderate, suggesting a nuanced understanding of its seriousness. While most respondents recognized cyber-plagiarism as a form of copyright violation and ethical misconduct, some did not view it as outright cheating. This mixed perception stemmed from the normalization of digital copying in educational contexts, where the lines between research and reproduction became blurred. This observation is consistent with Park’s (2017) research, which highlights the variability in student perceptions of academic misconduct. Sefcik et al. (2019) further emphasized that students' understanding of plagiarism often lags behind in institutional expectations, particularly in the digital age. Regarding religiosity, the study conceptualised it through three dimensions: religious practices, values, and experiences. The overall findings indicate a high level of religiosity among the students, suggesting that their religious orientation significantly influences their academic behaviour, particularly in the areas of integrity and ethical decision-making. In terms of religious practices, students showed moderate engagement, with routine activities like daily prayers contributing to their academic discipline. These practices reinforced their ability to resist unethical conduct, aligning with Adamczyk et al. (2017), who noted that frequent religious involvement correlates with reduced unethical behaviour.

Religious values were particularly influential, with many students affirming that their beliefs discouraged cheating, even under academic pressure. This reflects the findings of Dein (2018), who observed that intrinsic religiosity is linked to ethical consistency. Furthermore, religious experiences played a significant role, as students reported that personal encounters with spirituality fostered a sense of accountability, discouraging cyber-plagiarism. This aligns with Arli et al. (2021), who found that strong religious experiences lead individuals to evaluate ethical decisions through a spiritual lens. Collectively, the three components of religiosity practices, values, and experiences indicated a high level of religiosity among the respondents. This suggests that religiosity serves as a protective factor, providing cognitive and emotional mechanisms that deter academic dishonesty. Cognitively, it supports a belief system that values honesty and respect for intellectual property, while emotionally, it instils a sense of spiritual accountability. These findings underscore the importance of integrating moral and spiritual dimensions into student development programmes.

The hypothesis examined the relationship between religiosity and cyber-plagiarism behaviour. The analysis revealed a significant positive relationship, indicating that higher levels of religiosity correlate with a reduced likelihood of engaging in cyber-plagiarism. This finding led to the rejection of the null hypothesis (H01), emphasising the role of religiosity in shaping ethical decision-making among female LIS postgraduate students. It suggests that religious values can guide students away from unethical behaviours, highlighting the potential for religious teachings to positively influence academic integrity in educational settings.

6. Conclusion

The study demonstrates that religiosity is a critical factor deterring female LIS postgraduate students from getting involved in cyber-plagiarism act. The study found that cyber-plagiarism poses serious academic and ethical risks, as it undermines intellectual honesty, erodes critical thinking, and may lead to disciplinary actions that can damage academic record and future career opportunities. Cyber-plagiarism act does not only devalues the essence of scholarly work but also weakens the credibility of academic institutions. The study further points out a connection between religiosity and appropriate cyber-plagiarism behaviour among female LIS postgraduate students in the studied universities in South-West Nigeria. The findings highlight that higher levels of religiosity, characterised by strong ethical beliefs and practices can serve as protective factors against academic dishonesty, particularly cyber-plagiarism. This research underscores the importance of integrating spiritual and moral education into academic curricula to foster a culture of integrity among students. By reinforcing ethical standards and encouraging self-regulation, educational institutions can empower students to navigate the challenges posed by digital resources. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how personal values, shaped by religiosity, can positively influence ethical decision-making in academic settings, thereby promoting a more honest and accountable academic space.

Statements and Declarations

Author Contributions: Conceptualisation, Saheed Abiola Hamzat; methodology, Saheed Abiola Hamzat, Aishat Wuraola Popoola, Jacob Oloruntoba Kutu; data collection, Saheed Abiola Hamzat, Aishat Wuraola Popoola; analysis, Saheed Abiola Hamzat, Aishat Wuraola Popoola, Jacob Oloruntoba Kutu.

Funding: The research received no external funding. All expenses involved in research structurization and data collection were borne by the authors

Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.

Institutional Review Board Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the relevant ethical guidelines and approved by Adeleke University Research and Ethical Committee with numberAUEREC/2025/11/22/LIS01

Informed Consent: An informed consent was obtained from all the study participants.

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing or conflict interest. The output of the study is the true state of affairs among the studied participants.

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