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Academic misconduct remains a perennial concern in tertiary education around the globe. Research intended to explain this phenomenon has been conducted for almost 100 years. One of the most cited researchers is Donald McCabe, whose work was rooted in a survey instrument he developed in the late 1980s and distributed to 100,000 + students over the following two decades. Recognizing the need to continue to understand academic misconduct in the 21st century context, the present study updated and validated the original McCabe instrument as an inventory of academic misconduct behaviors, and derived psychometrically sound factors of the same to enable researchers to examine the predictors of these behaviors. Specifically, our updated instrument (named MIAMI: McCabe/ICAI Academic Misconduct Inventory) was shown to have construct validity through associations with the following predictors in a survey of tertiary students (n = 2329): academic integrity climate, peer norms, moral attitudes, and achievement goal structures. The updated survey will facilitate further research that will advance our understanding of academic misconduct and test the efficacy of interventions designed to promote academic integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article I argue for the prioritisation of human rights when developing and implementing misconduct policies. Existing approaches may be perpetuate inequities, particularly for individuals from marginalised groups. A human-rights-by-design approach, which centres human rights in policy development, revision, and implementation, ensuring that every individual is treated with dignity and respect. Recommendations for implementing a human-rights approach to misconduct investigations and case management are offered, covering areas such as procedural fairness, privacy, equity, and the right to education. Additional topics covered are the need to limit surveillance technologies, and the need to recognize that not all use of artificial intelligence tools automatically constitutes misconduct. I disentangle the differences between equity and equality and explain how both are important when considering ethics and integrity. A central argument of this paper is that a human-rights-by-design approach to integrity does not diminish standards but rather strengthens educational systems by cultivating ethical awareness and respect for personhood. I conclude with a call to action with a seven-point plan for institutions to adopt a human-rights-based approach to ethics and integrity. In the age of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology, insisting on human rights and dignity when we investigate and address misconduct allegations is an ethical imperative that has never been more important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to explore theoretical and practical considerations for decolonizing academic integrity. I explore values associated with academic integrity, including both Western and Indigenous perspectives. I draw from scholarship on decolonizing research methods and practices, contemplating the transferability to academic integrity practices and policies. Synthesizing key concepts from the literature, I theorize strategies for decolonizing academic and research integrity in broad terms, focusing on four principles, which can translate into concrete actions: (a) centering marginalized voices and perspectives in knowledge production; (b) recognizing the interconnectedness of knowledge and the importance of contextualization; (c) resisting the perpetuation of historical oppression in academic integrity, and (d) knowledge caretaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Amidst the competition in college and in life, students face challenges related to their self-esteem and self-efficacy. In academic context, these two psychological constructs were found to be related to freshmen college students' engagement on academic dishonesty. This mixed method study delves into the relationship of self-esteem and self-efficacy to academic dishonesty, aiming to visualize a bigger picture and understand why freshmen college students resort to academic dishonesty. Using a standardized questionnaire, the study reveals that freshmen college students report a mean score of 2.50 in self-esteem, interpreted as high, characterized by higher self-worth; and a mean score of 2.79 in self-efficacy, interpreted as high. Freshmen college students' self-esteem is found to be significantly correlated to academic dishonesty (r = -.301; p-value = .001), and freshmen college students' self-efficacy is found to be not significantly correlated to academic dishonesty (r = -0.72; p-value = .445). A one-on-one interview was conducted to a set of respondents that have lower self-esteem and self-efficacy, the study reveals that there are freshmen college students who confess to be engaging in academic dishonesty accompanied with signs of low self-esteem and self-efficacy. Self-critiques, approval seekers, and justifiers; these were the themes that described the students who participated in the interview phase. In essence, the quantitative shows that the higher the self-esteem and self-efficacy, the lower the tendency for the freshmen college students to engage in academic dishonesty. However, the qualitative study has strengthened the quantitative findings as the cards are flipped and revealed that students having lower self-esteem and self-efficacy have a higher tendency to engage in academic dishonesty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic misconduct and academic integrity are issues of importance to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Phraseologies and practices may conflate unintentional mistakes with attempts to gain illegitimate advantage, with some groups potentially at higher risk. HEIs across the United Kingdom (UK) responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request, and provided data regarding their overall student demographics, the demographic details of their cases of referred and substantiated academic misconduct over a specific time period, as well as information about Turnitin. Available data were analysed with an estimated combined student population of 200,646 with an estimated 2718 students referred for academic misconduct. Analyses revealed some groups being referred out of proportion with their share of the student population, however, no significant differences were observed by demographic for substantiated cases. Most of the responding HEIs indicated Turnitin was used for both identification of misconduct and pedagogical purposes although some reported variations in use for pedagogy by department or module. Implications of the findings are considered. Limitations around available data are discussed and areas requiring more detailed consideration are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article I argue for the prioritisation of human rights when developing and implementing misconduct policies. Existing approaches may be perpetuate inequities, particularly for individuals from marginalised groups. A human-rights-by-design approach, which centres human rights in policy development, revision, and implementation, ensuring that every individual is treated with dignity and respect. Recommendations for implementing a human-rights approach to misconduct investigations and case management are offered, covering areas such as procedural fairness, privacy, equity, and the right to education. Additional topics covered are the need to limit surveillance technologies, and the need to recognize that not all use of artificial intelligence tools automatically constitutes misconduct. I disentangle the differences between equity and equality and explain how both are important when considering ethics and integrity. A central argument of this paper is that a human-rights-by-design approach to integrity does not diminish standards but rather strengthens educational systems by cultivating ethical awareness and respect for personhood. I conclude with a call to action with a seven-point plan for institutions to adopt a human-rights-based approach to ethics and integrity. In the age of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology, insisting on human rights and dignity when we investigate and address misconduct allegations is an ethical imperative that has never been more important.

Abstract Academic misconduct remains a perennial concern in tertiary education around the globe. Research intended to explain this phenomenon has been conducted for almost 100 years. One of the most cited researchers is Donald McCabe, whose work was rooted in a survey instrument he developed in the late 1980s and distributed to 100,000 + students over the following two decades. Recognizing the need to continue to understand academic misconduct in the 21st century context, the present study updated and validated the original McCabe instrument as an inventory of academic misconduct behaviors, and derived psychometrically sound factors of the same to enable researchers to examine the predictors of these behaviors. Specifically, our updated instrument (named MIAMI: McCabe/ICAI Academic Misconduct Inventory) was shown to have construct validity through associations with the following predictors in a survey of tertiary students (n = 2329): academic integrity climate, peer norms, moral attitudes, and achievement goal structures. The updated survey will facilitate further research that will advance our understanding of academic misconduct and test the efficacy of interventions designed to promote academic integrity.

Abstract Using multivariate regression, we identified situational, personal and contextual variables correlated with business students’ self-reported rates of academic misconduct. The most influential predictors of increasing academic misconduct were: higher estimates of peers’ academic misconduct, increasingly negative perceptions of the program’s academic integrity culture, and rating questionable academic behaviours less seriously. Individual priorities, personal characteristics and social support were less influential. We then analyzed our quantitative results in light of our deep understanding of the broader context to derive richer insights from the interplay of our independent variables. Importantly, our results indicate that program-led proactive messaging designed to foster a culture of academic integrity can effectively buffer tendencies towards academic dishonesty. Absent ongoing messaging, however, increasing academic pressures may erode those initial benefits. Moreover, repercussions of major academic integrity breaches can be long lasting, suggesting an even greater need for fostering a culture of academic integrity a priori. Finally, we recommend a public health practice of identifying positive deviants – individuals who thrive in challenging environments – and then in an effort to change a peer support system that fosters academic misconduct into one that discourages it, engaging with those individuals to understand why and how they resist the status quo.

Purpose – This paper analyzes the ethics of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly regarding AI-generated educational content in academia. It attempts to explore how AI customization mimics human interaction and behavior in education, investigate ethical concerns in educational AI adoption, and assess ChatGPT’s ethical use for nurturing curiosity and maintaining academic integrity in education. Design/methodology/approach – Fictional tales may help us think critically and creatively to uncover hidden truths. The narratives are analyzed to determine the affordances and drawbacks of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd). Findings – The study highlights the imperative for innovative, ethically grounded strategies in harnessing AI/GPT technology for education. AI can enhance learning, and human educators’ irreplaceable role is even more prominent, emphasizing the need to harmonize technology with pedagogical principles. However, ensuring the ethical integration of AI/GPT technology demands a delicate balance where the potential benefits of technology should not eclipse the essential role of human educators in the learning process. Originality/value – This paper presents futuristic academic scenarios to explore critical dimensions and their impact on 21st century learning. As AI assumes tasks once exclusive to human educators, it is essential to redefine the roles of both technology and human teachers, focusing on the future.

Abstract Student academic misconduct continues to vex higher education institutions in the United States and internationally. The COVID pandemic learning environment yielded more rather than less reports of student academic misconduct. Substantial empirical research has considered the nature of academic misconduct in higher education institutions by identifying its antecedents and correlates. But given the reproducibility crisis in social research, the quality of knowledge that students have on academic misconduct warrants further empirical corroboration. With the intent to replicate, this study used Quantitative Content Analysis to examine 2631 written responses from first-year undergraduate students as they participated in academic misconduct programming implemented by a public university in the United States. Results reported a staggering proportion of first-year students possess piecemeal (at best) or non-existent (at worst) knowledge over citations/references and cheating. Furthermore, such proportions are uneven according to specific college membership. Results corroborate prior research that first-year undergraduate students hold limited understanding of academic misconduct in its premises, patterns, and processes. In turn, results support the design and use of systematic preventive mechanisms to address academic misconduct among higher education institutions.

Background Misconduct in the academic community remains poorly understood among post-graduate dental students (PGDSs) in North Africa. Data on the knowledge of misconduct (KoM) level in this population is lacking. This brief report assessed KoM of Tunisian PGDSs’. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Monastir, involving 147 PGDSs registered in 2022. Students were recruited via email invitations and convenience sampling at a medical congress. A French survey with 11 questions on KoM, offering three-choice answers (yes/no/maybe) was administered. Each correct answer received one point, and a total score below six indicated a low-level of KoM. Results The mean±SD KoM score of the 106 students who accepted to participate in the study was 4.4±1.8, indicating a low-level of KoM. The majority of PGDSs (85.85%) demonstrated a low-level of KoM. A comparison between subjective and objective assessments of KoM levels revealed that a significant percentage of PGDSs underestimated their knowledge (62.26% vs. 85.85%, respectively). Conclusion This study identified a low-level of KoM among North-African PGDSs. This emphasizes the need for further efforts to enhance awareness and promote better KoM in this population.

Background Misconduct in the academic community remains poorly understood among post-graduate dental students (PGDSs) in North Africa. Data on the knowledge of misconduct (KoM) level in this population is lacking. This study assessed KoM of Tunisian PGDSs’. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Monastir, involving 147 PGDSs registered in 2022. Students were recruited via email invitations and convenience sampling at a medical congress. A French survey with 11 questions on KoM, offering three-choice answers (yes/no/maybe) was administered. Each correct answer received one point, and a total score below six indicated a low-level of KoM. Results The mean±SD KoM score of the 106 students who accepted to participate in the study was 4.4±1.8, indicating a low-level of KoM. The majority of PGDSs (85.85%) demonstrated a low-level of KoM. A comparison between subjective and objective assessments of KoM levels revealed that a significant percentage of PGDSs underestimated their knowledge (62.26% vs. 85.85%, respectively). The two groups of PGDSs with low (n=91) and acceptable or excellent (n=15) KoM levels showed comparable characteristics in terms of age, sex, discipline, post-graduate-level, experience-level, graduation-status, and survey-response modality. Conclusion This study identified a low-level of KoM among North-African PGDSs. This emphasizes the need for further efforts to enhance awareness and promote better KoM in this population.

Using multivariate regression, we identified situational, personal and contextual variables correlated with business students' self-reported rates of academic misconduct. The most influential predictors of increasing academic misconduct were: higher estimates of peers' academic misconduct, increasingly negative perceptions of the program's academic integrity culture, and rating questionable academic behaviours less seriously. Individual priorities, personal characteristics and social support were less influential. We then analyzed our quantitative results in light of our deep understanding of the broader context to derive richer insights from the interplay of our independent variables. Importantly, our results indicate that program-led proactive messaging designed to foster a culture of academic integrity can effectively buffer tendencies towards academic dishonesty. Absent ongoing messaging, however, increasing academic pressures may erode those initial benefits. Moreover, repercussions of major academic integrity breaches can be long lasting, suggesting an even greater need for fostering a culture of academic integrity a priori. Finally, we recommend a public health practice of identifying positive deviants – individuals who thrive in challenging environments – and then in an effort to change a peer support system that fosters academic misconduct into one that discourages it, engaging with those individuals to understand why and how they resist the status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity of Internet usage and the diverse and rich information available online make it easier for students to engage in academic misconduct, especially Internet plagiarism (IP). Therefore, this study investigated the IP intention of Chinese students and analyzed the influence of gender, educational level, achievement goals (AG), low self-control, acceptance, and plagiarism experience on it. A total of 551 students from high school to university participated in this study. It was found that male students had more IP experience than female students, and college students had more IP experience and higher IP intentions than high school students. Correlation analysis showed that all variables in this study were related to each other. Regression analysis showed that AG, low self-control, plagiarism acceptance, and past experience jointly predicted IP intention with a high level of predictive explanatory power (64%). Specifically, students with a dominant mastery approach had lower IP intentions, whereas students with a more impulsive personality, more acceptance of IP, and more IP experience had higher IP intentions. Considering these findings, this article puts forward suggestions to reduce IP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most secondary and postsecondary institutions take a behavioral approach in dealing with student cheating—punishing those caught with grade reductions and/or suspensions. While some form of punishment may be necessary, it is not sufficient. As an instantiation of negative morality, academic misconduct offers an opportunity for moral education. The present investigation builds on the literature related to developmental approaches in responding to academic misconduct. It does so by describing theoretical underpinnings and instructional design of a developmental approach (Intervention), as well as results from a quasi-experimental study of its effects on moral sensitivity. Participants (N = 798) included university students who had been found responsible for academic misconduct and completed the Intervention. As hypothesized, participants not only reported greater attentiveness to moral issues after completing the Intervention, they also demonstrated greater awareness of the moral values related to academic misconduct. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic misconduct is ubiquitous, a fortiori during crisis periods. The present research examines undergraduates' learning motivation, based on Self-Determination Theory and personality traits factors, according to the Big Five Factor Model, affecting academic misconduct across different time spans: Before, during, and after a life-changing event. Using online questionnaires, we measured the level of academic misconduct, learning motivation, and personality traits of 1090 social sciences students during five different time spans pre-COVID-19, during COVID-19 (before and after vaccination), and after COVID-19 (post and long post). The results showed significant differences in students' self-reported academic misconduct levels among the different periods and similar misconduct levels in pre-COVID-19 and long post-COVID-19. Additionally, the findings exhibited that external motivation significantly increases academic misconduct and that two out of five personality traits (agreeableness and emotional stability) reduce their occurrences. We conclude that higher education preparedness for academic integrity during an emergency is still a desideratum and that ethical concerns should not be abandoned but rather be fully addressed during emergency periods. This could be addressed by instructors allocating tasks during emergency groups involving students with pro-social personalities (agreeableness and emotional stability) and intrinsic motivation to serve as social agents in deterring academic misconduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student academic misconduct continues to vex higher education institutions in the United States and internationally. The COVID pandemic learning environment yielded more rather than less reports of student academic misconduct. Substantial empirical research has considered the nature of academic misconduct in higher education institutions by identifying its antecedents and correlates. But given the reproducibility crisis in social research, the quality of knowledge that students have on academic misconduct warrants further empirical corroboration. With the intent to replicate, this study used Quantitative Content Analysis to examine 2631 written responses from first-year undergraduate students as they participated in academic misconduct programming implemented by a public university in the United States. Results reported a staggering proportion of first-year students possess piecemeal (at best) or non-existent (at worst) knowledge over citations/references and cheating. Furthermore, such proportions are uneven according to specific college membership. Results corroborate prior research that first-year undergraduate students hold limited understanding of academic misconduct in its premises, patterns, and processes. In turn, results support the design and use of systematic preventive mechanisms to address academic misconduct among higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of remote learning and the over-representation of international students in contract cheating literature have contributed to the beliefs that a digital pathway to higher education necessitates academic malpractice, and that this phenomenon is more prevalent among non-native students. This study seeks to contribute to the existing literature on international students and contract cheating by providing both holistic and nuanced student perspectives from survey and interview data. An online survey distributed to 117 students, of which 103 international students participated and a supplementary interview conducted with 6 additional participants from a UK university reveal a holistic and nuanced insight into the student perspective of contract cheating definitions and causes. The results support the currently scarce but emerging literature that a fear of failure and lack of self-confidence due to weak academic writing skills in English have a greater contribution to a student’s susceptibility to outsource their work than students’ automatic international status. This paper advocates for university support systems for academic writing skills in English to be shared among universities, and further suggests that these systems should be tailored and further promoted to the postgraduate student demographic.

This study aims to discuss the concept of harmony from the pata dela of the Bajawa people and its implications for forming academic integrity in higher education. In Indonesia's higher education context, technological advancements and changes in teaching methods have increased the potential for academic dishonesty. Pata dela, which consists of ancestral teachings from the Bajawa people, contains moral values that can contribute to supporting academic integrity. Through a qualitative approach, this research explores how the values from pata dela can be integrated into the higher education curriculum to create a supportive learning environment for academic integrity. The research findings indicate that values like honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility embedded in pata dela can help prevent academic misconduct and foster a culture of integrity among students and faculty. The research results can be implemented in higher education as a preventive effort to prevent academic disintegrity through habituation based on local wisdom.

Authorship provides academic recognition for substantial intellectual contributions to scholarly articles. Beyond recognition, authorship has become a form of currency within the academic community, acting as an indicator of academic output and thus influencing standing within an institution and the general medical community. It might further impact salary as well as job and research grant funding opportunities. Unfortunately, this emphasis on authorship has also been linked to instances of misconduct. We discuss our personal experience with editorial misconduct hoping to highlight the issue and thereby increase awareness and peer-to-peer control to reduce future authorship misconduct and to encourage others to speak up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]