The rapid increase in online instruction in higher education has heightened concerns about cheating. We use a randomized control design to test whether informing students that we can detect plagiarism reduces cheating. We further test whether informing students they have been caught cheating reduces subsequent cheating. We find informing students…

With graduation rates under strict scrutiny, American institutions of higher education (IHEs) are examining ways to improve student retention. Students go through several monumental transitions throughout their undergraduate and graduate careers, which affect the trajectory and nature of their academic experiences. One unanticipated transition for…

While online learning has dramatically increased over the past few years, so have opportunities for students to cheat, plagiarize, or commit other academic integrity violations in the online learning environment. Some online instructors effectively address these issues, while others do not. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore…

Academic corruption in its different forms is not a new phenomenon. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has been active in addressing this area for a number of years. In cooperation with UNESCO, it issued an "Advisory Statement on Discouraging Degree Mills" (see ED603204). The document was prepared for the 2009 UNESCO…

The consideration of the impact of the dissertation services industry on the academy is a welcome piece by Jeffry L. White. White raises interesting questions and calls on educators and researchers to think deeply about the role they play in encouraging or combating the use of this industry by graduate students. In this piece, I respond to White's…

Notable interest was generated when Dave Tomar's book, "The Shadow Scholar: How I Made a Living Helping College Kids Cheat," was first published. While ghostwriters and paper mills have long been part of the academic landscape, a far more ominous enterprise has appeared that targets master's and doctoral students seeking assistance with…

Business professionals often use standard templates when composing documents, and teachers of business writing direct students to textbook examples to use as sample formats. Good instructors do want to provide their students with informative examples of what is expected, especially in an online course environment where students cannot raise their…

There are some speculations why students of all age groups and achievement levels cheat. One line of speculation is that dishonesty in school merely reflects the broader erosion of ethical behavior which has become commonplace in societies that tend to support self-centeredness over concern for others. Another is that concern about high-stakes…

Presents statistics and research findings concerning student academic dishonesty and discuss useful processes and sanctions in adjudicating cases. Prevention strategies and ways to implement proactive campus initiatives are also presented. (Author/KW)