Factors influencing Higher Similarity and Plagiarism amongst Research Scholars: a Comparative Case Study of two Indian Universities.

Higher Education is gaining momentum in every domain. There is a strong passion and pressure to undertake research and find solutions to the problems plaguing Higher Education. In the pressure to enhance ones career prospects leads to instances of academic misconduct like plagiarism which is adversely affecting the academia. Different studies have brought into light different reasons behind it. This study is also an attempt to analyse the reasons/factors which create hindrance in the way of original research. The study explores various factors which are prevalent among the research scholars of social sciences and sciences of GNDU, Amritsar and PU, Chandigarh. The findings of this study will unfold new vistas for the faculty, library professionals and the institutions to work collectively for guiding the researchers in overcoming those hurdles. It is hope that by countering these factors or removing these obstacles the originality in research can be brought in, duplicacy of work would be avoided and research would become more focussed and valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]