Implementation of the National Anti-Plagiarism System in Universities of the Republic of Moldova: A Strategic Investment for Strengthening Academic Integrity

The Ministry of Education of the Republic of Moldova will implement a digital plagiarism detection system in all universities across the country, making the mandatory verification of all bachelor’s and master’s theses compulsory.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dan Perciun, during the public debates organized in Parliament regarding academic fraud.

The platform was purchased from a company in Romania and will operate nationwide, with the capacity to analyze approximately 15,000 academic papers annually. The estimated cost for each verification is around 2 euros.

Academic Integrity – More Than Just Software

The Minister emphasized that the use of this software represents an important step toward strengthening academic integrity; however, it is not sufficient to completely eliminate the problem. According to him, combating academic fraud also requires clear regulations, institutional responsibility, and the active involvement of universities.

He mentioned that plagiarism is a significant issue, manifested through cheating during exams, submitting papers written by others, or even purchasing theses, all of which seriously undermine the credibility of the university system.

ASEM Rector’s Position

The Rector of the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Alexandru Stratan, explained that the phenomenon of plagiarism has evolved alongside technological development and requires solutions adapted to new realities.

He specified that the institution already has a database containing approximately 30,000 bachelor’s and master’s theses, which is used for continuous verification. However, the emergence of new tools based on artificial intelligence makes fraud detection much more difficult.

In his opinion, the problem cannot be solved through technology alone, but also through education, clear regulations, and effective sanctions, so that the demand for such practices is reduced.

The Experience of USMF “Nicolae Testemițanu”

The Acting Rector of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemițanu”, Olga Cernețchi, stated that the institution already applies digital control systems and multiple evaluation methods for students.

In addition to the bachelor’s thesis, students take final examinations organized digitally, simultaneously, with automatic verification. Furthermore, the university has been using anti-plagiarism software since 2017, and this year all papers were subject to mandatory verification, with many of them being returned for corrections in cases of non-compliance.

The Perspectives of the Technical University of Moldova

The Rector of the Technical University of Moldova, Viorel Bostan, believes that plagiarism is a systemic issue affecting both pre-university and university education.

He explained that during the first years of strict verification, numerous papers with a high degree of similarity were identified, and some students were not allowed to graduate. Later, through institutional measures and internal reorganizations, the situation gradually improved.

He welcomed the introduction of a unified national system, considering that it will reduce disparities between universities and prevent students from moving to more permissive institutions.

The Need for a Clear Legislative Framework

At the end of the debates, Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei highlighted the importance of the joint involvement of students, professors, university administrations, public institutions, and law enforcement bodies in combating academic fraud.

At the same time, the creation of a working group was proposed to draft a legislative project based on international best practices, with the aim of establishing an effective and applicable framework for preventing and sanctioning plagiarism in the academic environment.