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Significant evidence of plagiarism was found in applications for medical residencies at a major teaching hospital, according to a large study.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that about 5% of personal statements included in residency applications submitted to a single academic medical center were plagiarized to some degree.

“We wanted to shine a light on this issue because there is still a feeling that plagiarism in residency applications is a rare occurrence,” Scott Segal, MD, MHCM, vice chairman for education in the Department of Anesthesiology Perioperative and Pain Medicine at BWH and lead author of the paper, stated in a Brigham and Women’s press release . “Our research shows that one in 20 — and maybe more — applications contain plagiarized content.”

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International applicants

Segal and colleagues wrote, “Evidence of plagiarism in residency application essays is more common in international applicants but was found in those by applicants to all specialty programs, from all medical school types, and even among applicants with significant academic honors.”

Investigators examined 4,975 personal statements included in residency applications submitted during an 18-month period.

Researchers used specialized software to compare the application essays with a database of published works, web pages and previously submitted essays. They calculated the extent to which each submission matched other materials; a match of more than 10% was deemed indicative of plagiarism.

Results showed that 5.2% of essays matched existing materials sufficiently to be defined as indicating plagiarism.

Addressed on a national level

“Based on what we have learned from this study, we would recommend that this challenge be addressed at a national level where the software capable of detecting plagiarism can be implemented most efficiently,” Segal stated in the release. “Previous research suggests that lapses in professionalism during physicians’ training correlate with lapses in professionalism later in their careers. Addressing the issue of plagiarism in residency applications can help ensure we are training a responsible future generation of physicians.”

Factors linked to evidence of plagiarism included non-U.S. citizenship; medical school location outside the United States and Canada; lack of research experience, volunteer experience or publications; previous residency or fellowship; low United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 score; and lack of membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, the authors reported.

The study design had some limitations including: the 10% match benchmark for identifying plagiarism was not statistically validated; the study was conducted at only one institution; and the software database was likely incomplete, the authors said.

“Evidence of matching content in an essay cannot be used to infer the applicant’s intent and is not sensitive to variations in the cultural content of copying in some societies,” the authors wrote.

Reference:

Segal S, Gelfand BJ, Hurwitz S, et al. Plagiarism in Residency Application Essays. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(2):112-120.