A Correlational Study between the Big Five Personality Traits and Plagiarism

Abstract

The advent of electronic media has increased plagiarism. People around the world are relying on the vast number of data available on the internet. This paves an easy road toward plagiarism. It has now entered into different areas of life and affects the intellectual growth of people. The current study is a comprehensive study of plagiarism in relation to the five-factor model of personality. Data was collected from the University of Karachi. Students from different departments of social sciences were added to the final sample. 231 students participated in this study. The results of this study were analyzed through the correlation analysis technique. Results showed that plagiarism was positively related to agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience. No statistically significant relationship was found between plagiarism and neuroticism. The findings were further discussed in relation to the Pakistani context.