Comparison of the effect of training academic honesty using two workshop and virtual training methods on the knowledge and attitude of M. S. students

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, one of the most important challenges of the universities and higher education centers is academic dishonesty among students. Academic dishonesty is done through cheating, deception, and plagiarism, which creates serious educational, studious, and social problems for the students and society. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of virtual and workshop training on the knowledge and attitude of M. S. students in terms of plagiarism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was an applied interventional study of quasi-experimental type having pretest and posttest and the participants of this study included 90 M. S. nursing students of Medical Science University of Shiraz in the southwestern part of Iran. RESULTS: The comparison of the three groups indicated that virtual and workshop training, both, developed the knowledge and attitude of students regarding plagiarism; however, the comparison between two methods did not indicate a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Both virtual and workshop training methods had an effect on increasing students’ knowledge and attitude. Regarding the positive effect of training academic dishonesty using two workshop and virtual training methods, both can be used as efficient and effective methods in training dimensions depending on the condition and facilities to prevent and reduce plagiarism in students.