Human-Information Interaction

A Meta-Analytic Investigation of Factors Influencing Academic Plagiarism in Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mohammad-Amin Chahardoli 1
Asadollah Babaeifard 2

1 PhD Student in Sociology, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/hii.2026.137929.1016
Abstract
Purpose: Academic plagiarism is one of the most significant threats to research integrity and the credibility of the higher education system, shaped by a set of individual, organizational, cultural, and technological factors. Despite numerous studies conducted in Iran, the results of these studies have been fragmented and sometimes contradictory, and no comprehensive estimate of the relative weight of factors affecting academic plagiarism has yet been provided. The present study aimed to quantitatively synthesize the findings of domestic studies and estimate the effect size of factors related to academic plagiarism in Iran using a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Method: The research process was designed based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. After a systematic search in SID, Magiran, IranDoc, Noormags, and Google Scholar, 14 eligible studies were finally included in the meta-analysis. Data analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software version 3 based on the random-effects model.
Findings: The results showed that the overall combined effect size of factors related to academic plagiarism was r = 0.29, indicating a moderate effect. Among the theoretical clusters, individual–cognitive factors (r = 0.31) and organizational–structural factors (r = 0.28) had the strongest relationship with academic plagiarism, followed by cultural–social factors (r = 0.22) and technological factors (r = 0.19). Subgroup analysis also showed that the effect of organizational–structural factors among graduate students was significantly greater than among undergraduate students. Heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias assessment confirmed the robustness and validity of the results.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that academic plagiarism in Iran is the result of the simultaneous interaction of individual, structural, cultural, and technological factors. Reducing it requires adopting multilevel strategies, including systematic research ethics education, enhancing research self-efficacy, reforming evaluation and academic promotion systems, reducing structural pressures, and strengthening monitoring and research integrity mechanisms in universities.

Keywords

Academic Plagiarism, Cultural&‌‌‌ndash
Social Factors, Higher Education, Individual &‌‌‌ndash
Cognitive Factors, Meta-analysis, Organizational&‌‌‌ndash
Structural Factors, Research Integrity, Technology, Iran
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Human-Information Interaction

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 26 June 2026