Academic Integrity: Challenges, Solutions, and Importance in Education

This essay delves into the critical concept of academic integrity, defining it as complete responsibility and honesty in one's work, emphasizing the avoidance of plagiarism. It explores various forms of plagiarism, including copy-pasting, paying for assignments, and paraphrasing without proper citation, highlighting their detrimental effects on students' learning and future careers. The essay discusses the increasing prevalence of academic dishonesty in higher education and proposes several preventative measures, such as understanding course syllabi, avoiding sharing work, managing time effectively, and learning proper citation techniques. It underscores the importance of a 'code of honor' and promoting a culture of academic integrity through the involvement of tutors, governing bodies, and the implementation of strict consequences for misconduct. The essay also touches upon the challenges of combating academic dishonesty, including the limitations of technologies like Turnitin, and emphasizes the need for proactive integrity-based training and early intervention strategies to foster ethical behavior among students.

Running head: ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic Integrity
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Academic Integrity means that you are completely responsible for and honest
with your work (Newton, 2016). According to the study of the academic integrity, it turns
out that “Plagiarism is widely defined as ‘using someone else’s work as if it was one’s
own’, generally by giving insufficient credit to (incorrectly referencing) the original
work” (Newton, 2016, p. 482). This can be understood as a process which is used to get
the work done by others while taking the unjustified credit for it. It also means being
dishonest to work and relying on unethical resources to get it done.
So, one has to do in their own words when they do any assignments and exams. It
clearly means that you have to understand what you are taught and try to learn more
when you do the work. Educators, professors and faculty members want to see the
students to be responsible and honest with their assignments or any work. This is because
they want students to understand and learn what they are taught about. Also, assignments
given to students are a good mean to learn. The grades fetched for each of such
assignments indicate the level of learning in individuals. So it is important to avoid
cheating other’s work. Also, they always say to students you have to do your work and
tasks by yourself and in your own words and please do not to plagiarize any of your
tasks.
Academic Integrity is the basic essence of learning. In school,
students grow and learn more about values and ethics that avoid them
to plagiarism and cheating. There are different types of plagiarism.
Firstly, copy-paste which includes taking the information and photos
from different sources such as books, articles, journals, and websites
then copying it with the same ideas and same numbers of words

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without citing the sources (Okoro, 2011). In such cases, personal
creativity or understanding of what have been written on the chosen
resources gets suppressed. Hence, such students in course to make
things easier they actually spoil their career by destroying the chances
to be the skilled professionals.
Secondly, paying money to someone for doing the assignment or
the work which means someone is doing your job on your behalf. This
is clearly unethical to pay for someone’s work because most of the
students did the own work and get their grades based on their efforts.
Finally, paraphrasing without mentioning the source, which means that
taking someone’s ideas. It also means doing the own works and not
citing it.
Actually, plagiarism is paraphrasing without mentioning the source.
Just don't forget to mention the source when taking any information (Okoro,
2011). According to Whitley Jr & Keith-Spiegel (2001), academic integrity
appears as one of those phenomena which is hard to be defined; however,
everyone gets to know when they look at it (p.18). In addition, I enter to this
course which is plagiarism prevention program because I took some
answers of the weekly assignment from the internet and that is wrong. After
this course, I have to work hard and I have to ask instructor if I have any
questions in assignment next time.

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In last few years, faculty members and educators have seen that academic
dishonesty is increasing. Academic dishonesty happens in most universities
because students do not know the steps or the right ways to work with
information and photos and how to mention the sources. So, there are
different methods to avoid academic dishonesty. Firstly, when the
course starts, every instructor gives the syllabus to the student to read
it carefully and to follow up on the course. When you have a question
regarding the syllabus you have to ask your instructor for clarification
and please don't depend on other students. Secondly, don't try to
share the work with other students, instead, one can help others but,
in a purely ethical way. If you give the other students the answer so
this will be a lack of academic honesty. Thirdly, don't do the
assignment at the last minute because when you do the assignment
before maybe you have some questions so you have time to contact
the instructor. Also, don't put the works of others on any websites
because may be someone else may take the advantage of it. Then,
you should always save your files and protect it so no one can take or
copy your work. In addition, learn and understand how to cite the
source correctly, when you take any idea or information don’t forget to
mention the source. Finally, during exams don't look at someone else
paper just look at your paper because it proves your dishonesty
(Whitley Jr & Keith-Spiegel, 2001).

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Academic integrity is getting hampered from the plagiarizing work practices
because most universities at the global level have no capable measure of actions to stop
such activities. The issue is now a global issue and there is a need for involvements from
the respective local governments and the administrative bodies of study curriculum. A
collective contribution from different stakeholders is the needs of the situation (Newton,
2016). It is of primary importance to understand what all are giving spaces to plagiarism
activities. Understandably, it is the incapability of educators or tutors to be aware of the
process which has caught the attention of several authors and also of this study. They
must have the understanding of how such thing happens. Such unethical practices have
been there for a long time and tutors and other governing bodies have not been able to
make the difference. The tutors who supposed to have the closest relationship with
students have so far failed in reducing or mitigating the plagiarism activities. The
activities have rather kept on increasing.
On the other hand, students are not aware of academic integrity like what it means
and why it is important. Some of them are not from good financial background. Hence,
few of them also do part-time jobs to manage their daily expenses. However, very few of
them hardly realize that such investments have been made to earn something. Most
students have just one vision in universities and that is to clear the academics with good
grades. Some student lack sufficient time for study as they also do part-time jobs. Others
find this difficult to understand the pictures, the contents and everything which are the
part of academic tests. In course of wrongdoing, they fail to understand the harms of
doing such unethical acts which can affect their study as well. They do not even realize
that at the end of their universities, they will remain unskilled and invaluable as well for

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the respective job industries. They have different purposes for doing the universities;
however, those few rarely have purposed to learn and become the skilled professionals.
This can well be evidenced by a fact that the global world is sort of skilled labors (Okoro,
2011).
Controlling the academic dishonesty can be a challenging task considering a fact
that it has not yet stopped, but has rather kept on mounting. Some have identified
technologies as the way to fights against such unethical acts. Turnitin is one of such
technologies that had been thought as an effective remedial of such issues. However,
there are still doubts regarding the effectiveness of such technologies. There are some
experts who have negative views on the effectiveness of the software. According to those
few experts, an over-reliance on such software may be fatalistic or incapable of resolving
the issue (Scanlan, 2006). Those who are doing the plagiarism activities, they are aware
of the ways out of any challenge. They will expectedly find ways to understand the
behavior of the software. Once they get it, they will also find the overcoming solution for
it. This is the one aspect which keeps experts worrying about the outcome. They are on a
desperate hunt for a solution which could truly help in identifying the plagiarism
activities and doing the needful as well.
“Code of honor” is probably the best method to avoid the academic dishonesty
(Scanlan, 2006). Code of honor is a set of principles which guides to identify the
plagiarism activities. It contains a list of policies which would be implemented on
someone caught as being involved in the plagiarism activities. The violation of such code
of conducts can subject to serious sanctions. This may also include expulsion from the
university. Someone who is really serious about their academic degrees and not being

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able to do it on their own, they will be badly affected by this (Whitley Jr & Keith-
Spiegel, 2001). However, the list of codes must contain elements necessary to mitigate
the ample kind of plagiarism activities. The tutors, experts and other responsible bodies
must be aware of the entire ways which student follows to accomplish the plagiarism
activities. This is required to know the ways that are being used to plagiarism activities,
so that, effective counters of such activities can be produced.
Apart from introducing the code of honor, there is a need for promoting a culture
for academic integrity (Scanlan, 2006). Various ways can be adopted to promote such
cultures. One of those ways is introducing the well crafted code of honor. Additionally,
its negative consequences in the form of penalties must be seriously implemented, so
that, students have fear for it. Unless and until students are not threatened of the
consequences of academic misconduct, they will probably keep on repeating the similar
things. Hence, the first and foremost step will be to effectively introduce the code of
honor in universities and strictly following it (Whitley Jr & Keith-Spiegel, 2001). The
entire stakeholders that include tutors, the respective governing bodies and others will
have significant roles in establishing a plagiarism free environment in universities. Tutors
and educators can also play the handful roles by promoting the culture for academic
integrity. Tutors have always been instructing in the assignment papers and verbally as
well that academic misconduct through plagiarism activities must be avoided. However,
they must promote the academic integrity in a refreshing way which includes the
elements of code of honor. Tutors must educate students on the importance of adhering to
academic policies for plagiarism free activities. They must also educate on the severe
consequences of academic misconduct which can even destroy someone’s career. Hence,

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tutors have to play the important roles in promoting the culture for plagiarism free work
(Scanlan, 2006).
According to Scanlan (2006), prevention is the best way to reduce academic
integrity (p. 180). It means that different modes of prevention can be used to minimize
the plagiarism and cheating activities. There is a need for early integrity based training
for fresh students. This will encourage students to integrate their practices with the
elementary discussions held in such trainings. Such training according to the chosen
article will include course-level underpinning, application of the chosen strategies for
assignment prevention, faculty role modeling, honesty declarations and honor pledges.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, academic integrity is important to academic institutions for
educators, faculty members and students. So as a student in the university you have to do
your own work and do not go into the wrong way. Academic integrity is like an identity
to the global institutions which is hampered from unethical practices in the form of
academic misconduct. It is high time for students to understand their purpose of being in
institutions. It is also critical to institutions that they are able to avoid the academic
misconducts. Academic institutions must implement a well designed “code of honor”, so
that, a culture of academic integrity is promoted.

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References
Newton, P. (2016). Academic integrity: A quantitative study of confidence and
understanding in students at the start of their higher education. Assessment &
Evaluation In Higher Education, 41(3), 482-497.
Okoro, E. A. (2011). Academic integrity and student plagiarism: Guided instructional
strategies for business communication assignments. Business Communication
Quarterly, 74(2), 173-178.
Scanlan, C. L. (2006). Strategies to promote a climate of academic integrity and
minimize student cheating and plagiarism. Journal of allied health, 35(3), 179-
185.
Whitley Jr, B. E., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2001). Academic dishonesty: An educator's guide.
Psychology Press.