Article Title: Is there a problem with academic integrity?
Author: Joanna Williams
Review by: Simone Sampson
Summary of the Article
This article is a compilation of research findings and thoughts from academia in different departments at Kent University in the United Kingdom. It is reporting that academic misconduct is more prevalent than originally suspected and these acts of misconduct varied in severity.
It is reported that some researchers falsify – misrepresent – their data, or even fabricate them entirely while some universities tacitly encourage such behaviour and the boundary between academic integrity and malpractice is becoming blurred”. The author also points out that due to an absence of shared understandings coupled with the risks or damage to individuals’ career and reputation, the matter of academic integrity and its extent, is a rather delicate issue to investigate.
The article spoke about the fabrication of research data and how the attitudes towards fabrication varied across disciplines. It was felt by research participants that they were somehow pushed to act in ways that were unethical due to the mounting pressures placed on them to produce significant amount of work in what seemed like too little time. Also coming out of the research is the view that “self-plagiarism” should not be seen as unethical as this is a result of the ‘structural over-production that forces students to produce variations of the same piece of work for more than one assignment.
The following table is a representation of the areas used to gather data for the research:
Notes: Figures refer to the 215 fully completed responses to an online survey of UK academics conducted in March and April 2016, reported in”Academic Integrity: Exploring Tensions Between Perception and Practice in the Contemporary University” by Joanna Williams and Dave Roberts, published by the Society for Research into Higher Education on 30 June. “Fabrication” refers to inventing data. “Falsification” refers to misrepresenting data. “Ethics form misuse” refers to “completing forms in such a way as to ‘complete the process’, rather than fully disclosing all possible ethical issues”. “Reference misuse” refers to “using references to support predetermined arguments rather than illuminate debate”. “Authorship abuse” refers to having obtained authorship on a paper “despite having done little to deserve it”. “Salami slicing” refers to knowingly splitting results to maximise the number of publications. The “unmatched count” technique tends to elicit higher positive responses to sensitive questions than direct questioning because it allows respondents to indicate malpractice without specifically implicating themselves. For further details, see p.11 of the report. The error bars reflect 95 per cent confidence intervals
END OF ARTICLE SUMMARY
My own thoughts on the issue
Academic dishonesty or academic misconduct is seen as any type of cheating occurring in a formal academic exercise (Berkeley, 2016). It therefore involves one being able to decipher between acceptable and non-acceptable methods of getting assignments completed, taking exams, or anything related to the completion of a course of study within the ambit of upholding one’s integrity as well as the integrity of the educational institution.
Problems with academic integrity have been a long standing issue and though it is a faculty or school administration issue, students should possess enough ethics and morality to abstain from such behaviours. According to Rebore (2014), “all human beings are innately free and have the right to self-determination…people can choose one course of action or an alternative course of action” (p. 6). As students we can either choose to cheat, plagiarize, or falsify pieces of information for an assignment and risk the chance of being debarred from the University and have our future reputation tarnished or we can choose to follow the stated principles and guideline whilst keeping our integrity intact.
Though the research was conducted in the United Kingdom its relevance is wide spread as it affects educational administration all over the world. It has become even more of a pressing issue with the options of studying online or via distant learning and the advent of technology that has created a “cut and paste” culture. It is said that the modality of online teaching and learning heightens the chances of academic dishonesty because persons are not under close supervision as with as face-to-face classroom environment. I beg to differ to some extent as even within the face-to-face context teachers/ lecturers are not able to supervise out of class activities when students are completing assignment hence they are not aware of who actually does the work.
As a student I can very well identify with persons trying to complete an assignment to meet a deadline and in so doing, unconsciously omit information that would otherwise be included and would clear the individual of plagiarizing. Though this is certainly no excuse, I believe that a revision needs to be done of the amounts of assessment done at the tertiary level. As university students enrolled in Masters Programmes it seems a bit archaic to be completing so many assignments rather than getting necessary practical, real life experiences that will be required upon completion of the programme and embarking into the world of work.
Some students are genuinely not aware of the regulations as they relate to plagiarism or other academic codes of conduct and though it is the responsibility of each student to find out what these are, some institutions need to do much more to educate students about the appropriate practices. McCabe and Trevin, 2002 (as cited in McCabe, Feghali & Abdallah, 2008) also speak of faculty and administrators better educating students towards academic integrity by developing policies and possibly implementing honor codes to reinforce their position on the issue. Whitley and Keith-Spiegel (2001) also indicate the need for institutions to create campus wide programs that promote academic integrity and develop effective policies.
In my own experiences of attending university to complete higher education programmes, I cannot say a lot of emphasis is placed on ethical behaviour on a wide scale. Yes there are some lecturers who will remind you to stick to the principles of the APA 6th edition but as it relates to school administration enforcing these principles there is a deficit where this is concerned. Person will even tell you that they have gotten away with acts of academic dishonesty in way form or another.
The author has rehashed an issue that is very crucial to the debate on quality assurance and standards that accrediting bodies are expecting university administrators to address and find practical solutions to deal with, especially in the online environment that has become a flexible alternative for persons desiring to study at the tertiary level. As outline by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) association requires an institution that offers distance education or correspondence education to have processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit.
Conclusion
While we can choose what is right or what is wrong from the perspective that we do have a choice, in the case of academic integrity we are guided by codes of conduct as outlined by the educational institution with which we associate ourselves. Academic integrity forces us as students to be aware of the consequences that exists if we decide to ……Especially at the university level where it is said that this is the place where some of us acquire our final set of skills before entering into the world of work, hence how we behave at this level can help to determine how we behave in our professional lives. This was stated by McCabe etal, 1996 and Sims, 1993 (as cited in Kidwell and Kent, 2008), who made the point that academic misconduct at the university level is associated with professional integrity failures in the workplace.
All educational institutions have their mission of educating for a better society and in so doing they need to reinforce and ensure that their graduates are of the highest standards especially when they produce works while doing their course of study. At the same time it is up to us as students and moral beings to stand up for something and ensure that whatever piece of work we produce can stand up to scrutiny and our integrity will not be questionable when we associate our names with published works. We have to ensure that we do not make false claims, pretend to collaborate on group assignments, plagiarize, “cut corners”, or have others do our assignments for us and take the glory when we did not do the work.
Reference
Academic dishonesty (2016). Berkeley University Online. Retrieved from
http://www.berkeleycitycollege.edu/wp/de/what-is-academic-dishonesty/
Rebore, R. W. (2014). The Ethics of educational leadership (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
United States department of Education. (2008). Higher education opportunity act – 2008.
Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html
Williams, J. (2016). Is there a problem with academic integrity? Retrieved from
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/is-there-a-problem-with-academic-
integrity
trendsandissuesinhe 
Each educational institution; educator; faculty and researcher has a different standard and expectation as it relates to the work produced by students. There needs to be a universal standard so everyone is on the same level: remove all disparities.
Academic integrity reinforces my conviction that moral development is something that should be ingrained in the HE curriculum. We take it for granted that at the tertiary level individuals should be morally responsible and so make morally sound decisions, however, if we observe the concerns being raised in this article, then we will conclude that this is a false claim. Many focus on the product and not the process and as such the means by which the goal is attained becomes irrelevant. This applies to both lecturers and students: students aren’t the only ones who cut corners and make errors in citing and referencing. If a HE student doesn’t grasp the concepts of referencing and later becomes a tutor or lecturer, then one can only imagine the devastation.
Many lecturers take it for granted that HE students know how to cite, give credit and reference sources, but enough effort isnt given to the process of ensuring that students know how to do them. The emphasis is placed on the result, so this too is something that a HE student must ‘read for’ along with the degree. I believe that every new student to an academic institution should be mandated to do a course in whichever referencing style applies to their respective field of study. This not only gives them the examples and time to practise the concepts, but also the time to internalize the information and integrate it into their writings.
‘Ignorance to the rules is not an excuse’ some will argue, however, in determining the degree of guilt, one must consider the intent of the culprit. Sometimes, when time is against us, in our haste we might source, cite or reference incorrectly. But is this the same as someone who knowingly copies another author’s work or misrepresents information? This is where one’s integrity comes into play. The intent of one’s actions. It is vital to our moral and personal development, that we base our decisions on sound values and reasoning; fulfill our roles responsibly and act with integrity.
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Totally agree that the issue applies to lecturers too, I have seen cases where lecturers provide resources/ppt slides with no bibliographic information on them. I guess that especially for persons who would have attained a first degree and is now at the Masters level that they would be expected to know how to cite. I guess as administrators or faculty it should not be taken for granted that students already come into HE programmes with these competencies, however this might mean extended stay within a programme if they are to factor ethics/APA referencing courses in. I know for UWI that the Library offers workshops on APA etc.
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Academic integrity is critical issue in higher education. I also believe that it should be enforced in the same manner to lecturers as it is for students. The integrity of academic work has implications for quality assurance as pointed out in the article. Most HE institutions have code of conduct and rules explaining standards and expectations as to how academic work must be done. If this is not followed the students should be willing to face the consequences.
Why is academic integrity important? It is important because work done by individuals are sometimes used to inform policies and decision-making and so it is crucial that the acceptable standards are followed. These persons who engage higher education oftentimes will find themselves in leadership roles in society and so it is important that they get things right from the start so that their work and decisions in the future do not lend themselves to suspicions and negative scrutiny. Because their peers with whom they studied will remember them and question their integrity. I recommend to all persons who pursue higher education to live by the mantra, “get it right the first time”.
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Before formal classes begin at a higher education institution, there is an orientation session. At these sessions, individuals are briefed on the policies governing the institution along with the consequences of students’ failure to comply.
It is crucial that academic integrity is maintained as this serves as a life lesson which will follow one throughout one’s life. A lack of academic integrity will prove detrimental as individuals will carry that same attitude in the world of work, which will hinder any form of progress, as before a promotion is to take place, such an individual could be relieved of one’s job.
Ignorance should not be blamed for one’s action, as it is said that it should not be an excuse. But the question needs to be asked, what about students who submit assignments upon assignments and no feedback is given? The course ends, exam is done, and individuals move on to a different course. The APA style is the one that is laboured, yet students don’t know that they have not been referencing correctly until they have been cited for plagiarism. Is it fair to say that the student has violated academic integrity considering it was not an intentional act of plagiarism? Yes, I do know that the onus is on the student to ensure that they get it right, but it would be good if feedback was given before it got to a critical stage.
There are aspects of double standard as, as students we are penalised for not wholeheartedly conforming to the APA format, yet on countless occasions we see where lecturers give presentations using PowerPoint and there is no referencing or it is not done properly. Does that constitute academic misconduct?
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Academic integrity like morals of society are undergoing a steady decay.
I agree that Higher education institutions should set high standards of academic conduct and work at maintaining them. This means that when those standards are breached, consequences should be given. At the end of the day, Higher education institutions are competing with others to survive. In order to be competitive there is a need to matriculate an adequate number of students per year. This may indeed be a cause for concern, especially in today’s world where seemingly ‘anything goes’.
At the end of the day, I believe it will be a delicate balance. Higher education institutions need to be matriculating students; but it ought to be students of high and exceptional quality. Universities must ensure that the resources for this to take place are in place; and that they set and keep high standards.
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Academic honesty and integrity lie at the heart of any educational enterprise. One of the perennial issues in higher education is that of dishonestly by students. Academic integrity is the core set of values and principles that defines the very mission of higher education. It encompasses: integrity, honesty, hard work, and the determination to translate personal and professional principles into behavior. No matter what the demographic or contextual influences are on students who decide to engage in dishonest behaviors, before they cheat they must overcome their own conscience. On the other hand , students who do not have a moral problem with academic misconduct can cheat guilt free. Academic dishonesty threatens the purpose of higher education. It is eroding the basic mission of education, the transfer of knowledge, by allowing individuals to get by without mastering the requisite knowledge.
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Integrity in education is a long standing problem. It is my assumption that many who are involved in persuing higher education are also the working class, I believe that many seek the easy way out by cheating the system. To some this may seem much better than failing but, the integrity of the certification is being badly compromised.
It is well know that the magnitude of work in higher education it great and causes a lot of stress, many are not prepared for what is to come and they just do the next best thing, cheat. Cheating is a great issue and even though many have been kicked out of school and is also band from programs, that still does not stop cheating. The fact is integrity is not a great issue for all, persons will always seek to find a means to an end no matter the circumstances.
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We are all faced with challenges both lecturers and students etc. The article points to individuals practising integrity in workmanship. The world is really circular and so are ideas, similar thoughts etc regardless, its best to do the correct thing by acknowledging sources.
It is true that the workload is difficult, and high expectations or demands can lead to individuals resorting to less than ideal work habits. However, as the saying goes ‘to thy own self be true”.
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It is fast becoming a world of ‘ready made’ or ‘ready done’. The microwave syndrome where everything is done fast. In today’s society, people seem to have lost the teachings that were instilled in our younger days. If I should use the Holy Book as my reference, it states that “by the sweat of your brow, ye shall eat bread”. This seems to have disappeared into thin air because people no longer want to go through the ‘process’ they just want to gain the profit. And so we find short cuts being established in areas where they were never thought to be created. Morality seems now to be a relative component in society, and persons do not behave as though they should be held by any standards. If one’s work cannot stand up to scrutiny, then it is unprofitable to the general populace. We can do a self examination and make every effort to do things the right way that they should be done. This article challenges one to assess self and if we are found to be wanting make the necessary adjustments so that our work speaks for us.
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Yes, those of us who are not displaying academic integrity, must assess ourselves and do the right thing so that we can practice what we preach to the children that we are entrusted to educate and help develop into responsible citizens for the 2030 Jamaican society we want to live in and well as the “globalized village”
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Surely, academic integrity is a moral issue. However, many people will argue that morality is not absolute. Many will even give justification to academic misconduct in light of utilitarian principles.
While ethics and morality in research may not be so clearly defined and stated as the ten commandments, society often hold certain conventions if acceptable behaviours. Certainly, though, many researchers have a vested interest in the deliberate falsification of data or information to selfish, economic purposes. They may not consider the hurt that may be caused to the population under study or other negative effects of their deviance. Also, it may be difficult to discover when such immoral acts have taken place. And, interestingly, there is no statutory law that prohibits or punishes such acts. Hence, it remains a difficulty ensuring academic integrity.
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The question is asked “is there a problem with academic integrity” ? A resounding yes is the answer to the question. The issue of academic honesty is a sensitive one for a university because it is so central to the individual learner’s self-identity, the campus’s academic mission, the university’s reputation, and the qualifications it confers. While universities strive to build learning cultures that support honest research and teaching, academic integrity goes beyond the quality of work to the moral fiber of each generation of learners, and these values include “honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.
Academic dishonesty has been a persistent part of the higher education landscape. Understanding the potential causes and complexities of academic dishonesty is critical in building an effective academic culture and system to try to counter this phenomenon.
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If we can not be true to ourselves, then who can we trust, Academic integrity is a matter of trust and belief in your self and acceptance of who you are, how would like to be viewed, be in it your writings , behaviour and attitude towards life. Honesty is a lifestyle and if we remain true to ourselves we will not be tempted to fall in to the trap of cheating, in an effort to get a so called good grade, and risk being caught facing such shame and penalty. i believe that academic integrity is taught to general integrity, higher education students should be learning,that is, having a change in behaviour, thus developing their skills in writing, complying with stipulated guidelines and develop confidence as thy own their achievements proudly and fairly,
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Considering the penalties, I really don’t think higher educational students would deliberately compromise their integrity when conducting research, but most times they are ignorant of the correct way of citing. Although for example, the UWI provides training in the use of APA 6th edition, via the library, most times part-time students (especially those from rural areas) are not able to avail themselves to these trainings. Ignorance however, is not an excuse for not obeying the law, so students should educate themselves on the rules and regulations and endeavour to adhere to them.
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