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Plagiarism is one of the most common research misconducts and has many negative consequences. It can potentially destroy the reputation of an institution. Only a few studies have explored plagiarism in Saudi Arabia, and these have focused on academic institutions. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the attitudes of researchers towards plagiarism at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using the established Attitudes Towards Plagiarism questionnaire. The questionnaire contains demographic data along with 29 statements divided into three sections: positive attitude towards plagiarism, which reflects the approval and acceptance of plagiarism (12 items); negative attitude towards plagiarism, which reflects deprecation and condemnation of plagiarism (7 items); and subjective norms towards plagiarism, which reflects personal perception of the extent and acceptance of plagiarism in society (10 items). Responses were collected from 237 participants. The overall attitudes of researchers showed a disapproval for plagiarism in medical research but also revealed some ambiguity about self‐plagiarism and a belief that others were more likely to plagiarize than the respondent. Our findings suggest that awareness about different forms of plagiarism among researchers should be increased. We recommend that researchers' attitudes towards plagiarism should be investigated further in a rigorous association study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years the incidence of scientific misconduct has increased. While the direct responsibility lies with the individual researcher, the educational role of mentors and research institutions needs rethinking and renewal. Researchers, principal investigators, departments, institutions, funding agencies, chemical societies, publishers, scientific journal editors, referees and editorial board members all have responsibilities in order to maintain the integrity of chemistry within the scientific community and to restore the confidence of the general public in chemistry as a responsible contributor to the solutions of the global problems facing mankind in this century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duplication of previously published text or figures in the scientific literature without adequate citation is plagiarism or, in the case of an author's own work, self-plagiarism. It breaches the ethical standards that are expected in science and threatens the integrity of scientific journals. Three examples of duplication are noted, one of which involves Palaeontology. Redundant publication lowers the quality of scientific literature, damages the good standing of journals, and reduces the intellectual impact of a study. Multiple papers on a particular theme are only acceptable if each builds significantly upon previous work and contains only as much background information as necessary to put the new data and observations into perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]