Abstract
This study examined the relationship between awareness of plagiarism and utilisation
of library resources among postgraduate students in federal universities in South-South
Nigeria. The study was motivated by concerns regarding academic integrity and the
effective use of scholarly information resources in postgraduate research. A
correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population compris ed
1,059 postgraduate students in Faculty of the Social Sciences in Federal universities
within the South-South region of Nigeria. A sample of 318 postgraduate students
representing 30% of the population was used for the study. Data were collected using a
structured questionnaire, of which 234 valid copies were retrieved and analysed,
representing a response rate of 74%. Data were analysed using Pearson Product
Moment Correlation (PPMC). The findings revealed a very strong, positive, and
statistically significant relationship between awareness of plagiarism and utilisation of
library resources among postgraduate students (r = 0.707, p < 0.05). The study
concluded that awareness of plagiarism plays a significant role in promoting responsible
and effective utilisation of library resources. The study recommends the integration of
plagiarism education into postgraduate training programmes and library user education
initiatives to strengthen ethical research practices and enhance library resource
utilisation.
Keywords: Plagiarism awareness, academic integrity, library resource utilisation,
postgraduate students, information literacy.
Publication Date: 2026-08-01