Management & Leadership

Plagiarism Is Changing: What 69M Submissions Reveal About Integrity

The Academic Integrity Crisis: More Than Just Cheating

In recent years, educators and institutions across the globe have faced a growing challenge that cuts to the heart of learning itself: academic dishonesty. But plagiarism today is no longer confined to a few students cutting corners — it has become a global, data-driven phenomenon tied to broader social, technological, and educational shifts.

Based on nearly 70 million submissions analyzed by PlagiarismSearch from 2018 to 2024, plagiarism patterns reveal a story far more complex than isolated misconduct. They mirror global crises, shifts in how we learn, and the unintended consequences of innovation.

From the mass migration to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic to the sudden rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, global events have left a measurable imprint on academic behavior — and the numbers prove it.

Behind the Numbers: Methodology and Scope

The findings in this report are based on data collected by PlagiarismSearch, an academic-focused plagiarism detection service used by institutions, educators, and students worldwide. The platform operates globally, scanning text submissions across a wide range of disciplines and education levels.

Between 2018 and 2024, PlagiarismSearch analyzed a total of 69.89 million text submissions. Each was processed through advanced algorithms to detect similarity against a vast database of academic publications, online content, and institutional archives.

This seven-year period spans significant transformations in global education — from the traditional, in-person classroom model to fully remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and later into the AI-driven era. As such, the data provides a unique opportunity to observe how large-scale events have impacted academic integrity over time.

A Timeline of Change: 2018 to 2024

The data collected by PlagiarismSearch between 2018 and 2024 reveals a clear pattern: plagiarism rates are not static. Instead, they rise and fall in response to global events and shifts in the education system. Notably, the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on academic behaviour, leading to a marked increase in plagiarism cases.

Below is a breakdown of the average plagiarism rate year by year, alongside the volume of submissions and the percentage change from the previous year.

Year	Total Submissions	Avg Plagiarism Rate (%)	Δ vs Previous Year (%)
2018	4.2M	9.08	—
2019	5.8M	14.67	+61.55
2020	7.2M	18.79	+28.06
2021	10.3M	16.72	−11.01
2022	11.8M	15.25	−8.83
2023	13.9M	18.32	+20.19
2024	16.7M	16.36	−10.72

The most significant spikes in plagiarism rates occurred in 2019 and 2020, with a combined increase of nearly 90%. These surges closely align with the onset of global lockdowns and the abrupt shift to online learning environments, where academic monitoring and support structures were strained or absent.

How COVID-19 Shaped Academic Behavior

The years between 2019 and 2021 mark one of the most turbulent periods in education history. With schools and universities forced to close physical classrooms, students across the globe were suddenly thrust into remote learning environments. The shift wasn’t merely logistical—it fundamentally changed how learning was structured, supervised, and assessed.

Academic support systems weakened. Peer collaboration diminished. Many students, studying in isolation and under stress, turned to shortcuts. At the same time, online assessments often lacked robust integrity protocols. These conditions created a perfect storm for misconduct.

Data from the PlagiarismSearch Global Trends Report reflects this shift. Plagiarism rates spiked from 14.67% in 2019 to 18.79% in 2020—a jump of over 28%. This increase aligns precisely with the first full year of pandemic-related school closures and digital learning dependence.

In 2021, as institutions began adapting and reintroducing controls, the average plagiarism rate dropped to 16.72%. While this decrease is notable, the pandemic had already exposed deep vulnerabilities in how academic integrity is upheld in digital learning.

Enter the Machines: The Rise of Generative AI

While the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped academic routines, another force emerged—one that would quietly alter how students write: generative AI. In 2020, OpenAI released GPT-3, a language model capable of producing coherent text. By 2022, improvements led to GPT-3.5, and later that year, the launch of ChatGPT made AI writing tools accessible to the masses.

These tools, while powerful, introduced new academic challenges. In 2023, plagiarism rates rose to 18.32%—a +20.19% increase compared to the previous year. This timeline aligns strikingly with the popular adoption of AI writing software.

Although the report by PlagiarismSearch does not directly attribute this spike to AI, the correlation is hard to ignore.

Here’s why the timing matters:

• Late 2022: ChatGPT is released and gains widespread traction among students.
• Early 2023: Media and academic communities begin debating the ethical use of AI in education.
• Throughout 2023: Institutions report difficulty distinguishing between student-written and machine-generated work.

This subtle, yet rapid shift suggests that educators may be facing a new type of plagiarism—one that blurs the line between assistance and automation.

Not All Countries Cheat Equally

Academic integrity is shaped not only by global trends but also by national context. The data from PlagiarismSearch’s Global Report reveal marked regional variations in plagiarism rates between 2018 and 2024. While some countries maintained low levels of misconduct, others consistently topped the charts—often correlated with rapid digital adoption and less stringent academic oversight.

Here’s a snapshot of the top and bottom performers in average plagiarism rate over the seven-year period:

Interestingly, countries with strong digital infrastructure—like India and the Philippines—also showed consistently high plagiarism rates. This suggests that access to technology may increase opportunities for academic misconduct when not accompanied by sufficient training or oversight.

Conversely, nations with strict academic codes, robust educator engagement, and strong originality policies—such as Finland and Germany—maintained low plagiarism averages throughout the measured period.

Prevention, Policy, and Proactive Tools

The fight against plagiarism is not just reactive — it’s a proactive responsibility. Institutions that want to protect academic standards and reputations must adopt forward-thinking strategies. Here are several practical steps any educational body can take to stay ahead of misconduct:

1. Implement Clear and Modern Integrity Policies: Update existing honor codes to include AI-generated content, self-plagiarism, and collaborative misuse.
2. Integrate Plagiarism Education Early: Embed modules on citation, originality, and ethical writing into the curriculum from the first year onward.
3. Audit Past Submissions Periodically: Re-analyze historical papers to identify patterns and raise awareness — especially after global shifts such as the pandemic or rise of ChatGPT.
4. Train Faculty to Recognize Red Flags: Help educators identify unnatural language patterns or repetitive phrasing that may indicate AI involvement.
5. Use Reliable Detection Tools: Depend on professional software to verify authenticity, not just intuition.

🔎 Recommended Tool: PlagiarismSearch

Use tools like PlagiarismSearch.com to proactively detect plagiarism and AI-generated content before it becomes a liability.

With the right mix of policy, pedagogy, and technology, institutions can safeguard learning environments and set a standard of integrity that matches the challenges of our era.

Looking Forward: Integrity in a Digital Age

The last seven years have made one thing clear: plagiarism isn’t a static problem. It responds to the world around us — from global pandemics to technological revolutions.

Academic dishonesty surged during crises and adapted with the emergence of AI tools. As learning environments evolve, so do the methods of misconduct. But that also means prevention must evolve too.

Institutions, educators, and students all have a role to play. With transparency, education, and the right tools, academic communities can remain resilient in the face of change.

Originality is no longer a bonus — it’s the foundation of knowledge, credibility, and trust.