Understanding Students' Perceptions of Plagiarism Within the Discipline of Geography in the University of KwaZulu-Natal

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence has refuelled the decades-long debates surrounding academic integrity in scholarship. In the 21st century, as a multifaceted phenomenon, plagiarism now extends beyond mere copy-and-paste behaviour to include recycling assignments and incorporating AI-generated works. With the academic misconduct domino effect, such as plagiarism behaviour, having severe consequences for students, academics, and higher education institutions, going beyond assessment marks to drastically alter standards of scholarship and institutional reputation. Within the discipline of geography, the integrity landscape is shaped by its methodological pluralism and is thus not limited to a single compliance issue. Therefore, using the neutralisation theory, the study examined geography students’ perceptions of plagiarism at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with a special focus on its association with demographic variables and attendance at anti-plagiarism training within the institution. Using survey data from 337 participants, nonparametric statistical tests were employed to test for significant differences across the four hypotheses. The findings indicate statistical differences across all the variables. The study offers insight into views on academic dishonesty amongst geography students at the university and how demographics and training workshops on such topics shape these perceptions, which contribute to the international discourse on academic ethics and integrity in higher education. Clinical trial number: N/A.