Academic integrity policies and processes vary from institution to institution and between countries. The last 30 years has seen increased attention on policies that provide a process focused on educating students and reintegrating those who cheat into their institutions rather than punitive and permanent sanctions, such as expulsion.

Very few parts of the world have legislation that prohibits the operation or the promotion of contract cheating services. This means that commercial companies providing such services can formally register and operate in most countries. If a student enters into an agreement with a contract cheating provider, what rights do they have to change their…

This opinion article presents two main virtues that should shape the development of academic integrity policies in higher education: justice and consistency. It discusses and analyzes some of the most common features of modern integrity policies, how examples of them achieve (or do not achieve) the goals of consistency and justice, and our…

Academic integrity matters are relevant to all areas of university teaching, but they are of particular importance to degree programmes whose graduates intend to work in the public service. While a large body of scholarship exists on academic integrity, very little has been written that specifically relates to students who intend to pursue careers…

This commentary paper examines the issue of contract cheating in higher education, drawing on research and current debate in the field of academic integrity. Media coverage of this issue has reflected significant concerns in the field about students' use of custom academic writing services, along with sector and national calls for action that…

Universities are seldom lauded publicly for maintaining good processes and practices; instead, media stories commonly focus on shortcomings. Furthermore, universities, even when doing everything right, sometimes are unfairly targeted for criticism in circumstances in which making a public defence is difficult. A prominent case at the University of…

Academic integrity policies at 200 institutions of higher education (IHE's) were examined for the presence of academic prohibitions against the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) or any other cognitive enhancing drug (CED). Researchers used online search tools to locate policy handbooks in a stratified random sample of IHE's drawn…

The delivery of online university courses has continued to grow for more than a decade. New advances in technology have made the efficient delivery of courses possible, as well as increasing the collections of tools for students to cheat. Cheating results in the atrophy of the student's academic integrity, it has the potential to damage a…

Academic dishonesty is a long-standing issue for faculty and administrators, yet the concern over dishonesty among international students is growing. With the changing demographics of higher education, faculty and administrators must revisit how campus policies and procedures serve all students' needs, but especially international students, as it…

Recently published research suggested that university academics have qualitatively disparate views on some key aspects of teaching research integrity within the broader construct of academic integrity and surprisingly ambiguous views on others. In the light of this variation, we have reviewed the research and academic integrity policies of our…

As with any innovation, the adoption and diffusion of digital technologies in higher education have also brought unintended consequences. This article discusses the unintended misuse of these technologies in the higher education setting. Depending upon severity, these consequences discussed--distraction, addiction, academic dishonesty, and…

Everyone believes now these days that our current age of technology where everything is available on the internet and through texts and emails, ethical issues and ethic in education are becoming major concern and very important than ever before. In the past, people needed to really work hard if they wished to obtain information for tests and…

Using an example from the work of one university in the United States, this case is principally an essay of reflections, thoughts, questions, and suggestions for the creation of an academic honesty and integrity culture in higher education institutions. The authors provide their thoughts and insights from their combined 30 years of teaching and…

A recent cheating scandal at a top business school led at least one commentator to propose recasting cheating as postmodern learning. Paradoxically counterproductive, the proposal represents a special challenge to the academy. As accountable institutions, universities serve students by purposefully integrating integrity initiatives into the most…

Security procedures for the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) are discussed and evaluated. All New Jersey high school students are required to pass the HSPT, which was administered for the first time in 1984. Generally, security plans are designed to limit access to test questions prior to test administration and to prevent…