Plagiarism: an eradicable misconduct? Reflection on the phenomenon in sports sciences

Plagiarism is an endemic problem in contemporary society, it is present in the various fields of the community and scientific research is no exception. In the field of sports research, the number of bad practices has gradually increased, contrary to all ethical assumptions. A large number of activities have been developed in institutions and countries in order to counter the phenomenon, however, the problem prevails, inside and outside science, in academia, by students and researchers.The aim of the present study was to develop a literature review about plagiarism, the problems that the subject raises in scientific research in the area of sports sciences and the way in which it can be fought. Different databases were consulted, such as the Web of Science, SCOPUS, MEDLINE/PubMed and Google Scholar.The literature review and analysis were carried out and completed during October 2020. Plagiarism was cited as the main reason for retractions in sports science magazines.The lack of training and the desire to obtain excellent curricula are perceived as reasons that lead to the practice of misconduct. Plagiarism in scientific research, nowadays, is a worrying reality, so it is necessary to try to mitigate the phenomenon, especially in the area of sports sciences, an area with little tradition.