Table 2. Factor structure of the attitudes towards plagiarism questionnaire with factor loadings.

Statements	Factor loading
1. Since plagiarism is taking other people’s words rather than tangible assets; it should NOT be considered as a serious offence.	−0.39
2. It is justified to use previous descriptions of a method, because the method itself remains the same.	−0.23
3. Self-plagiarism is not punishable because it is not harmful (one cannot steal from oneself).	−0.39
4. Plagiarized parts of a paper may be ignored if the paper is of great scientific value.	−0.36
5. Self-plagiarism should not be punishable in the same way as plagiarism is.	−0.13
6. Young researchers who are just learning the ropes should receive milder punishment for plagiarism.	−0.19
7. I could not write a scientific paper without plagiarizing.	−0.40
8. Short deadlines give me the right to plagiarize a bit.	−0.48
9. It is justified to use one’s own previously published work without providing citation in order to complete the current work.	−0.39
10. Authors say they do NOT plagiarize, when in fact they do.	−0.20
11. aPlagiarists do not belong in the scientific community.	0.09
12. aThe names of the authors who plagiarize should be disclosed to the scientific community	0.01
13. aIn times of moral and ethical decline, it is important to discuss issues like plagiarism and self-plagiarism.	0.02
14. A plagiarized paper does no harm to science.	−0.37
15. Sometimes one cannot avoid using other people’s words without citing the source, because there are only so many ways to describe something	−0.30
16. If a colleague of mine allows me to copy from her/his paper, I’m NOT doing anything bad, because I have his/her permission.	−0.31
17. Those who say they never plagiarized are lying.	−0.37
18. Sometimes I’m tempted to plagiarize, because everyone else is doing it (students, researchers, physicians).	−0.32
19. I keep plagiarizing because I haven’t been caught yet	−0.23
20. I work (study) in a plagiarism-free environment.	−0.16
21. Plagiarism is not a big deal.	−0.52
22. Sometimes I copy a sentence or two just to become inspired for further writing.	−0.41
23. I don’t feel guilty for copying verbatim a sentence or two from my previous papers.	−0.32
24. Plagiarism is justified if I currently have more important obligations or tasks to do.	−0.52
25. Sometimes, it is necessary to plagiarize.	−0.51

Notes.

^aItems 11, 12, 13 are not included in the final factor structure, because of to low (<0,10) factor loading.