The Cybersecurity Practice in Saudi Universities to Protect the Intellectual Rights of Faculty Members’ Publications

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the reality of cybersecurity practice in Saudi universities to protect the intellectual rights of faculty members’ publications. The study population consisted of all faculty members at Taif University, Umm AlQura University, King Abdulaziz University, and Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. Participants were 120 faculty members from the four universities. The descriptive-analytical method was used and data was collected by a questionnaire developed by the author. The results revealed that cybersecurity practice in Saudi universities for protecting the intellectual rights of faculty members’ publications is high. Obstacles to cybersecurity practice in Saudi universities are medium. Ways to overcome obstacles to cybersecurity practice in Saudi universities are high. No statistically significant differences (p=0.05) were found in the views of the participants in the questionnaire’s individual dimensions or the total score by gender, experience, academic rank, and university. Based on the study results, it is recommended that universities reduce the obstacles to cybersecurity practice reported by the participating faculty members and put the ways they proposed into practice to take the cybersecurity practice to a higher level.