Academic Integrity Policies Research Articles

Resolving the Ambiguous Expectations of Academic Integrity

Students encounter wide-ranging teaching and learning contexts and approaches in Canadian post secondary institutions. As a result, they receive and perceive mixed messages when it comes to academic integrity. The purpose of this session is to remind us, as educators/ scholars/researchers what it is like to be the “novice” in our disciplines and fields. The presenter calls for more explicit and contextual teaching of the norms and skills required for academic integrity. This will lead to discussion of (1) what should be done at the program level to explain and educate students on ethical academic and professional practices; and (2) the value and the limits of awareness campaigns and standardized syllabus statements. The session foreshadows a chapter in a forthcoming edited book about academic integrity in Canada and fits with “best practices and emerging ideas in academic integrity policy development.”

Academic Integrity Policy Analysis of Publicly-Funded Universities in Ontario, Canada: A Focus on Contract Cheating

In this article we report findings from a review of universities’ academic integrity policies in Ontario, Canada. The research team systematically extracted, reviewed, and evaluated information from policy documents in an effort to understand how these documents described contract cheating in Ontario universities (n = 21). In all, 23 policies were examined for contract cheating language. The elements of access, approach, responsibility, detail, and support were examined and critiqued. Additionally, document type, document title and concept(s), specific contract cheating language, presence of contract cheating definitions and policy principles were reviewed. Findings revealed that none of the universities’ policies met all of the core elements of exemplary policy, were reviewed and revised with less frequency than their college counterparts, lacked language specific to contract cheating, and were more frequently focused on punitive rather than educative approaches. These findings confirm that there is further opportunity for policy development related to the promotion of academic integrity and the prevention of contract cheating.

Academic integrity in first-year nursing students: An intergrative review

Introduction: Studies relating specifically to first-year nursing students’ breaches of academic integrity are not readily identified within the literature. While work has, over the years reported on breaches in academic integrity, it has done so with many disciplines and varied student cohorts. Nevertheless, those that specifically relate to first-year nursing students are sparse. First-year undergraduate nursing students are generally included with the entire student nurse cohort, and not necessarily identified independently. Therefore, the integrative review aimed to discover how or if the incidence of plagiarism/cheating, specifically within first-year undergraduate nursing students, was addressed.Methods: An integrative review of the literature, incorporating quantitative and qualitative literature was undertaken between January 2021 – April 2021 using electronic data bases.Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. From the review, six main themes were extrapolated, (1) blurred boundaries of caring; (2) navigating the ethical highway; (3) factors influencing academic misconduct (4) early intervention (5) academic integrity policies and procedures and (6) inconsistencies amongst academics.Conclusions: The integrative review has identified a shortfall in research relating to how academic integrity has been addressed in first-year nursing students.

International students\u2019 knowledge and emotions related to academic integrity at Canadian postsecondary institutions

This study investigated the knowledge of academic integrity and associated emotions of a small sample of international students studying at Canadian postsecondary institutions (n = 60) using survey methodology. Depending on the survey item, 25–60 participants provided responses. Many respondents appeared knowledgeable about academic integrity and misconduct and reported that expectations in their home countries and in Canada were similar. There was, however, disagreement on the concept of duplicate submission/self-plagiarism, indicating an important gap in educating students about specific aspects of policy in postsecondary education in Canada. In addition, more than a third of respondents provided neutral responses to a situation involving contract cheating, suggesting a lack of certainty in how to respond when witnessing peers’ engagement in outsourcing academic work. Many respondents reported feeling confident upon reading the academic integrity and misconduct policies of their Canadian postsecondary institution, although nearly one third indicated feeling fearful, anxious, and/or confused. These negative feelings were associated with reduced knowledge of academic integrity and misconduct. Future research should further explore the experiences and emotions of international students related to academic integrity and misconduct to better understand the successes and challenges that they face in their postsecondary studies in Canada. Our findings have important implications for the delivery of academic integrity education, enhancing supports and resources, and refining academic integrity policies and procedures to improve the experience of students who come from abroad to study in Canada.

\u201cI\u2019m not an investigator and I\u2019m not a police officer" - a faculty\u2019s view on academic integrity in an undergraduate nursing degree

In nursing, expectations of honesty and integrity are clearly stipulated throughout professional standards and codes of conduct, thus the concept of academic integrity has even more impetus in preparing students for graduate practice. However, a disparity between policy and practice misses the opportunity to instil the principles of academic integrity, and at its core honesty, a pivotal trait in the nursing profession. This study draws upon the experience of the nursing faculty to explore how academic integrity policy of deterrence operate in nursing education.While participants deplored cheating behaviours, they expressed frustration in having to ‘police’ large numbers of students who had little awareness of the academic standards to meet policy requirements. In addition, they were cynical because of a perceived lack of severity in sanctions for students who repeatedly breached integrity. Participants expressed a moral obligation as educators to meet student learning needs and preferred to engage with students in a more meaningful way to uphold academic integrity. The ambivalence to detect and report breaches in integrity undermines the effectiveness of policy. Therefore, faculty must recognise the importance of their role in detecting and escalating cases of dishonesty and execute deterrence in a more consistent way. To do this, greater support at an institutional level, such as smaller class sizes, inclusion in decision making around sanctions and recognition of additional workload, will enable faculty to uphold policy. Although policing was not their preferred approach, the role of faculty in detecting and reporting cases of misconduct is crucial to increase the certainty of students getting caught, which is essential if policy is to be effective in deterring dishonest behaviour.

A community of practice approach to enhancing academic integrity policy translation: a case study

IntroductionAcademic integrity policy that is inaccessible, ambiguous or confusing is likely to result in inconsistent policy enactment. Additionally, policy analysis and development are often undertaken as top down processes requiring passive acceptance by users of policy that has been developed outside the context in which it is enacted. Both these factors can result in poor policy uptake, particularly where policy users are overworked, intellectually critical and capable, not prone to passive acceptance and hold valuable grass roots intelligence about policy enactment.Case descriptionThe case study presented in this paper describes the actions of a community of practice (CoP) at a regional Australian university to deconstruct and translate ambiguous academic integrity policy into a suite of accessible academic integrity resources that were intelligible to staff and students, and which assisted academic staff to consistently enact policy. The paper narrates the formation of the CoP, the tangible and intangible value it created, the social learning practices enacted by its members, its grassroots policy work and the material resources produced from that work.Discussion and evaluationAn evaluation of the CoP was conducted using a value creation framework to explore its immediate value, potential value, applied value, realised value, and reframing value. These values were considered at each stages of the CoP’s lifespan. The evaluation was a useful process that demonstrated the wide-ranging value created by the CoP. Six insights were drawn from the evaluation which promote understanding of the value created for a university by a CoP, particularly in contributing to academic integrity culture over a sustained period of time.ConclusionsThis paper contributes to a research gap on specific examples of discretion within rule-based systems. It illustrates how academics and members of the CoP used their discretion to interpret and enact academic integrity policy within a higher education setting. Drawing from the evaluation of the CoP we argue for greater understanding of the grass-roots contribution of academic and professional staff to academic integrity policy translation and enactment.

Can Online Academic Integrity Instruction Affect University Students' Perceptions of and Engagement in Academic Dishonesty? Results From a Natural Experiment in New Zealand.

The problem of academic dishonesty is as old as it is widespread – dating back millennia and perpetrated by the majority of students. Attempts to promote academic integrity, by comparison, are relatively new and rare – stretching back only a few hundred years and implemented by a small fraction of schools and universities. However, the past decade has seen an increase in efforts among universities to promote academic integrity among students, particularly through the use of online courses or tutorials. Previous research has found this type of instruction to be effective in increasing students’ knowledge of academic integrity and reducing their engagement in academic dishonesty. The present study contributes to this literature with a natural experiment on the effects of the Academic Integrity Course (AIC) at The University of Auckland, which became mandatory for all students in 2015. In 2012, a convenience sample of students (n = 780) had been asked to complete a survey on their perceptions of the University’s academic integrity polices and their engagement in several forms of academic dishonesty over the past year. In 2017, the same procedures and survey were used to collect data from second sample of students (n = 608). After establishing measurement invariance across the two samples on all latent factors, analysis of variance revealed mixed support for the studies hypotheses. Unexpectedly, students who completed the AIC (i.e., the 2017 sample) reported: (1) significantly lower (not higher) levels of understanding, support, and effectiveness with respect to the University’s academic integrity policies; (2) statistically equivalent (not higher) levels of peer disapproval of academic misconduct, and; (3) significantly higher (not lower) levels of peer engagement in academic misconduct. However, results related to participants’ personal engagement in academic misconduct offered partial support for hypotheses – those who completed the AIC reported significantly lower rates of engagement on three of the eight behaviors included in the study. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed as well as possible future directions for research.

Attitudes towards plagiarism among faculty members in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

Plagiarism is considered one of the most critical aspects of academic misconduct and violates academic integrity. This research aimed to assess faculty members' attitudes towards plagiarism (ATP) in 40 Egyptian universities using a questionnaire designed to explore such behaviour in the academic community. In 2018, the ATP questionnaire, in an Arabic version of 25 statements, was distributed to measure positive and negative ATP as well as the subjective norms. Additionally, these attitudes were examined according to three main variables. The results revealed a moderate attitude among the respondents (n = 254) as the mean scores for positive attitudes, negative attitudes, and subjective norms were 28 ± 7, 20 ± 3, and 20 ± 4, respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of studying abroad and training on academic integrity and scientific writing. According to specialization, mean scores indicated that the faculty in the disciplines of basic and applied sciences had a stronger ATP than faculty from the disciplines of social sciences, education, and arts. Given the tested ATP, the study recommended several procedures by the Supreme Council of Universities, including developing an academic integrity policy, launching an obligatory training programme on plagiarism, and establishing an international publishing unit in each campus to disseminate awareness of academic integrity.

Academic Integrity Policies Against Assessment Fraud in Postgraduate Studies: An Analysis of the Situation in Spanish Universities

Academic Integrity Policies Against Assessment Fraud in Postgraduate Studies: An Analysis of the Situation in Spanish Universities

ЦІЛІ ТА ЦІННОСТІ СУЧАСНОГО УНІВЕРСИТЕТУ: ВИКЛИКИ АКАДЕМІЧНОЇ ДОБРОЧЕСНОСТІ В УМОВАХ ОНЛАЙН НАВЧАННЯ

The paper presents the results of a study of the moral problems of online learning in higher education. Analysis of the trend of contemporary universities determined positive and negative influence on the participants of educational and scientific activities and society in general. The purpose of a contemporary university is to preserve, produce, and disseminate knowledge and educate independent, critical and responsible citizens. Academic freedom and academic integrity are defined as the core values of today's higher education. The presented results of the survey of students and teachers from the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv on certain issues of academic integrity (2020-2021) revealed an asymmetry between the teachers and the students in the attitude to the violation of academic integrity. It was recorded that the level of awareness of ethics among the students is inadequate. Ways to address the moral issues of the educational process and online learning are associated with technical and institutional decisions on the implementation of academic integrity policies and raising the level of ethical awareness of all participants in the educational process, and expanding the role of the humanities. The author believes that philosophy and ethics can develop critical thinking and form a moral consciousness of students, a sense of personal responsibility for their actions.

ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНІСТЬ У КОНТЕКСТІ РОЗВИТКУ АКАДЕМІЧНОЇ ДОБРОЧЕСНОСТІ СТУДЕНТІВ У США

The paper considers the issues of responsibility in connection with the characteristics of the problem of academic integrity in the researches in the USA, whose experience is because the researchers and administration have developed a significant amount of information materials. The main purpose of this paper is to describe the peculiarities of interpretation of the concept of responsibility as a component of the value basis of academic integrity by the US researchers. The research methods used are analysis and content analysis. The understanding of responsibility as a value element of academic integrity is shown in researchers' papers, codes of ethics of university students, documents covering academic integrity policies and specialized manuals for students. Responsibility appears as one of the key aspects of academic integrity. The main approaches to defining the concept of responsibility in the researches in the United States include the study of responsibility in the context of academic integrity and its study in the context of general issues of rights and freedoms of students. At the present stage, various aspects of the problem of responsibility are considered at the scientific level, including the issue of measuring the level of responsibility, description of behaviors defined as responsible / irresponsible, and the role of responsibility in meeting the academic integrity of higher education. It is common to interpret the responsibility of students in relation to the standards of professional ethics of the future sphere of their professional activity. Key words: academic integrity, responsibility, values of academic integrity, students, higher education.

Academic Integrity Policies of Publicly Funded Universities in Western Canada

We examined 45 academic integrity policy documents from 24 publicly-funded universities in Canada’s four western provinces using a qualitative research design. We extracted data related to 5 core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy (i.e., access, detail, responsibility, approach, support). Most documents pointed to punitive approaches for academic misconduct and were based on the notion that academic misconduct results from a lack of morals. One university used the term “contract cheating,” although nearly all categorized the outsourcing of academic work as plagiarism. Details about educational resources and supports to increase student and staff understanding of academic integrity and prevention of academic misconduct were sparse. This study signals the continuing punitive nature of academic integrity policies in western Canadian universities, the reluctance to address contract cheating directly, and the need to revise policies with deeper consideration of educative approaches to academic integrity that support students and academic staff.

Academic integrity in nursing education: Policy review.

Academic integrity is a matter of concern in nursing education. While cases of academic dishonesty are not public record, policies used to promote integrity in nursing education programs are widely available. A review of integrity policies in nursing programs explores common grounds in practices to promote integrity. Integrity policies were collected from leading United States nursing programs. Using publicly posted academic integrity statements identified through internet search engines, policies were reviewed to identify common approaches. Nursing programs articulate a variety of approaches to academic integrity. Most programs display honor codes, although requirements for student affirmation vary. Hearings are required for all accusations in only a handful of institutions. A majority of the policies include formal references to nursing values and integrity standards. The academic integrity policies of nursing programs are shaped by systemic features of host institutions. An exploration of the range in approaches provides insights to faculty and administrators who provide ongoing leadership in policy development. The exploration provides an opportunity to pose probing questions as they shape approaches to preserve and promote integrity in nursing students and graduates.

Academic integrity in the Muslim world: a conceptual map of challenges of culture

The literature suggests that a whole-institution culture of academic integrity is needed in order to prevent academic integrity breaches. It is also suggested that the national cultures and individual backgrounds of academic staff and students can impact on their propensity to breach academic integrity policies and on their uptake of initiatives aimed at enhancing academic culture. Much research has been conducted on academic integrity related to culture in the western world including the behaviours of international students, and some work has been conducted in various Asian contexts. However, little is known about how national culture and religion affect academic integrity in eastern countries with a Muslim majority. This paper presents a synthesis of the literature related to academic integrity and culture in regions where Muslims are the majority. An integrative literature review was carried out. Keywords were used to search and to collect academic integrity related research published from 2010 to 2020. The literature reviewed revealed that academics in countries with a Muslim majority faced challenges related to their local cultures, which included social and religious perceptions and practices. However, they were also able to draw upon some national and religious practices that supported and enhanced academic integrity. This paper concludes with recommendations for incorporating these positive cultural factors into an academic integrity framework for policy and practice appropriate for Muslim contexts.

Students\u2019 awareness of the academic integrity policy at a Latvian university

An academic integrity policy usually specifies the university’s ethical principles and values, the forms of appropriate academic behaviour, the penalties for academic malpractice and the procedures for handling policy violations. However, the policy does not itself create academic integrity, but needs to be consistently and effectively communicated, implemented, and applied. This paper presents a case study investigating the extent to which students at Riga Technical University (Latvia) are informed about the university’s academic integrity policy. This quantitative research was performed by surveying two groups of respondents: domestic students in the first year of their bachelor’s studies and the heads of the corresponding study programmes. The results revealed a low level of students’ awareness of the university policy on academic integrity and a lack of systematic institutional approach to promoting academic integrity. The study results also indicated that students with a higher awareness of the university policy on academic integrity were less tolerant towards violations and perceived academic integrity as an essential aspect for both the academic community and student life. These findings establish a foundation for a more extensive discussion of academic integrity issues in Latvia. They can also serve as impetus for similar studies in other Latvian universities, as well as research taking an international comparative perspective.

Methodological Decisions in Undertaking Academic Integrity Policy Analysis: Considerations for Future Research

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to share details of the methodological decisions regarding data collection that a researcher or research team may want to consider when undertaking a policy analysis. Methods: We have undertaken a meticulous documentation of our decision-making processes throughout the research design process. Results: We provide narrative evidence of what worked for us as a collaborative research team. Implications: Understanding the decisions we made throughout our research design and implementation may help other research teams, particularly those working as virtual collaborations and/or those undertaking academic integrity policy analysis.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR ENSURING RESEARCH INTEGRITY IN UKRAINIAN UNIVERSITIES

The article explores the issue of formation of integrity research environment in universities. National legislation on implementation of academic integrity policies and procedures in Ukrainian universities is analyzed. To evaluate experience and practices of Ukrainian universities in assuring research integrity, the documents presented on websites of three leading Ukrainian universities according to the National Ranking «Top 200» (2019) are analyzed and compared with the documents used in the process of ensuring research integrity by UK universities as world leaders in higher education. Possible measures for overcoming the crisis of research integrity in Ukrainian universities are proposed.

Developing a university-wide academic integrity E-learning tutorial: a Canadian case

Academic integrity has become a significant point of concern in the post-secondary landscape, and many institutions are now exploring ways on how to implement academic integrity training for students. This paper delineates the development of an Academic Integrity E-Learning (AIE-L) tutorial at MacEwan University, Canada. In its first incarnation, the AIE-L tutorial was intended as an education tool for students who had been found to violate the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. However, in a discourse of the academic integrity process, the University reimagined it from only emphasising the increased understanding and strengthened commitment of students found to have committed academic misconduct to a proactive focus with education for all students. The purpose of the present paper is three-fold: first, describe the development of the AIE-L tutorial as an experiential case study; second, improve the content of the AIE-L tutorial through students’ quantitative and qualitative feedback; third, calibrate the pre and post-test questions for content validity for a forthcoming large-scale measurement of the AIE-L tutorial effectiveness.

Responding to student plagiarism in Western Australian universities: the disconnect between policy and academic staff

ABSTRACT Maintaining academic integrity is an area of major importance for today’s institutions of higher learning. Despite universities having in place academic integrity policies and procedures, findings from semi-structured interviews with 26 academics from four, public Western Australian universities suggest that responses to incidences of student plagiarism are inconsistent and not aligned with the responses expected of them by their institution as set out in these institutional documents. Using thematic analysis, an SIA model is proposed which categorises the reasons for these inconsistencies under Student, Academic and Institutional factors. It suggests that if academics prioritise the student and themselves, their responses are more likely to be inconsistent and not aligned with the responses expected from them by their institution. Recommendations to help develop a shared understanding of plagiarism include online, academic integrity modules for all staff. This shared understanding will lead to more consistent and aligned responses which in turn will help maintain the reputation of the institution and the integrity of its awards.

Academic integrity and contract cheating policy analysis of colleges in Ontario, Canada

In this study, we analyzed the academic integrity policies of colleges in Ontario, Canada, casting a specific lens on contract cheating. We extracted data from 28 individual documents from 22-publicly-funded colleges including policies and procedures (n = 27) and code of conduct (n = 1). We analyzed the characteristics of the documents from three perspectives: (a) document type and titles; (b) policy language; and (c) policy principles. Then we examined five core elements of the documentation including (a) access; (b) approach; (c) responsibility; (d) detail; and (e) support. Key findings revealed that specific and direct language pertaining to contract cheating was largely absent from the policy documents, that underlying policy principles lacked clear definition, and that exemplary policy has yet to be developed in this context. We conclude with recommendations for increased policy research in the area of academic integrity and a call for policy revision in Canadian higher education institutions to more explicitly address the issue of contract cheating, as well as provide more support to students and other campus stakeholders to better understand how contract cheating impacts and impedes teaching and learning.