New national anti-plagiarism system to be applied in all universities of Moldova; Education Ministry develops implementation methodology

A new national anti-plagiarism system will be applied in all higher education institutions of Moldova, which means that all bachelor’s and master’s theses will be checked compulsorily before their defense through a special platform. The methodology for implementing the system is being developed by the Education and Research Ministry (MEC).

Thus, bachelor’s and master’s theses will be checked using the Sistemantiplagiat.ro platform. This is a digital tool that compares texts and identifies possible similarities with other papers or sources available in academic databases and on the internet.

After the software is put into use, plagiarism checking will become a mandatory stage in the process of drafting and evaluating theses. In a first phase, each student will receive a similarity report before the final submission of the thesis, in order to be able to correct any citation or paraphrasing issues. After the thesis is submitted, it will be analyzed both in the language in which it was written (Romanian or Russian) and in English, so that even translations without indicating the source or borrowings from other languages can be identified.

“The reports generated are not interpreted automatically. They are analyzed by the thesis supervisor, who issues a reasoned decision regarding the originality of the paper. In situations where certain technical thresholds are exceeded or suspicions arise, the analysis is additionally carried out by a committee made up of three teachers,” said Adriana Cazacu, Secretary of State at MEC.

The similarity reports contain more technical indicators, such as similarity coefficients, identified sources and possible technical warnings. MEC emphasizes that these indicators do not automatically mean plagiarism, but represent a signal for more careful evaluation. The final decision is based on a qualitative analysis that takes into account the context, the way sources are cited and the author’s real intellectual contribution.

Adriana Cazacu stressed that the use of artificial intelligence tools was allowed in academic activity, but it must be transparent and responsible.

“Students are required to declare the use of these tools, when it goes beyond auxiliary functions, such as linguistic correction or formatting. Generating content without a significant personal contribution is incompatible with the norms of academic integrity,” Adriana Cazacu added.

According to MEC, only the papers that go through all verification stages and receive an appropriate resolution will be admitted to the final defense before the examination committee.

The Ministry points out that the anti-plagiarism system is a support tool that complements, but does not replace, the academic evaluation carried out by teaching staff. At the same time, higher education institutions will be responsible for informing students about how the checks are conducted, their rights and the way data is used.