Academic integrity is a cornerstone of ethical learning and scholarship. It guides students and educators in producing original work while respecting the intellectual contributions of others. But like any skill, academic integrity must be taught, practiced, and perfected. This article explores the essential principles of academic integrity, its challenges in relation to technological advances, and strategies that can help promote authentic learning.
Academic Integrity at PSU
Academic integrity refers to the ethical standards and practices that guide students and educators in producing original work and properly acknowledging the contributions of others. At its core, academic integrity is about honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility within academic settings. These core values ensure that students are learning in a way that respects intellectual property and rewards genuine effort. At PSU, the Dean of Student Life highlights the importance of integrity in academic work and explains that plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of dishonesty are not only violations of university policy but also a detriment to the learning process. PSU provides students with several definitions of misconduct along with examples of plagiarism, such as copying another student’s work or failing to properly cite sources.
Like any learned skill, academic honesty must be taught, practiced, and reinforced. At PSU, students are introduced to the importance of academic honesty through faculty guidance and resources, especially in writing-intensive courses. Both the English Department and the Writing Center emphasize the importance of citation, research integrity, and viewing writing as an iterative process. The Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations, workshops, and online resources to help students perfect these skills. For example, writing tutors can help students understand proper citation practices, such as how to paraphrase and use quotation marks effectively when directly quoting sources. Students also have access to asynchronous resources, such as tutorials on various citation styles, strategies for avoiding plagiarism, and guidance on the writing process from brainstorming to revision. The goal is to help students think of writing as a process of entering academic conversations where crediting sources is essential.
Cultural Perspectives on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
The concept of academic integrity can vary widely across cultures, leading to different expectations and practices in academic environments. In some cultures, memorizing information or using common knowledge without citation is seen as a sign of mastery, whereas in the U.S., failing to cite sources is often regarded as plagiarism. For students from diverse backgrounds, these differences can create confusion when navigating academic expectations. PSU faculty can play a crucial role in helping students understand that citing sources is like giving credit to other contributors in a broader scholarly conversation. This practice can be compared to actions on social media, where linking or tagging others’ content shows respect and recognition of their contributions. Framing academic integrity in this way—where citing sources reflects a respect for others’ voices—can help students see the value in these practices.
What causes academic dishonesty?
Research tells us that academic dishonesty is often rooted in a lack of skill, time, resources, and confidence rather than ill will. Common causes of academic dishonesty include time pressure, lack of preparation, and personal stress, especially for students managing high academic workloads, jobs, or families. Systemic trauma and instability, such as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, amplify these pressures, which leads to an increase in misconduct. In these kinds of situations, students often feel that cheating is the only way to maintain their academic standing.
Research overwhelmingly shows that students with higher levels of outside stress are more likely to engage in misconduct, particularly when academic tasks feel overwhelming or unclear. Time pressure, a major concern for students balancing coursework, jobs, and other personal commitments, often leads to poor decision-making. When students feel overwhelmed by deadlines or unclear expectations, they might resort to shortcuts like plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration. Additionally, students who lack confidence in their abilities or fear failure may turn to academic misconduct to maintain competitive standing or meet familial expectations. Factors like inadequate preparation in academic research, unfamiliarity with proper citation practices, and believing that peers are also engaging in misconduct can further drive dishonest behavior. Addressing these stressors through skill building, course design, communication, relationship building, and access to resources can help students meet academic standards without resorting to dishonesty.
How do we promote academic integrity and prevent academic dishonesty?
Encouraging and fostering academic integrity often requires a multi-pronged approach. Common strategies include the use of technology platforms (like originality checkers and proctoring software) and inclusive pedagogical approaches that cultivate genuine belonging, motivation, and engagement. We explore a range of these techniques below.
Originality and plagiarism checkers—such as Turnitin and Google Assignments Originality Reports—are tools commonly used to ensure that students’ work is original and uses standardized academic conventions to incorporate and cite research. The main benefit of these tools is deterring students from submitting work that is not their own.
Another concern is the longevity of these tools when higher education budgets are being cut and frequent technological developments and mergers can affect the availability of such tools. Originality and plagiarism checkers therefore require faculty to carefully consider benefits, drawbacks, risks, and uses.
Best Practices for Use
Originality checkers are best used as an option to assist students with writing drafts instead of with final assignments. During the drafting process, students can submit work through an originality checker to assess how well they have summarized or paraphrased their resources or to determine if they have left out necessary citations. They can view the common phrases that an originality checker might identify as plagiarism (because of the frequency with which these appear in other sources) and consider how to make their word choices and sentence structures more unique. Incorporating a drafting process in a writing assignment can ultimately assist not only with scaffolding assignments and time management for students but also with an active self-assessment process that improves their work and deters academic dishonesty.
To protect student privacy when using an originality checker, do not ask students to submit personal reflections or any work that contains personal information beyond their names. This is especially important if the work is stored in a repository.
To summarize, best practices for use include:
Allow students unlimited attempts to use the originality checker software to improve their writing and citation skills
Offer multiple assignment submissions where students can select whether or not to use originality checkers to support their writing
Advise students against submitting drafts to repositories to avoid self-plagiarism
Make originality checker use on assignment submissions non-graded and unlimited throughout the term
Offer originality checkers as a resource for ungraded parts of the writing process (e.g. first drafts) instead of for final and/or graded versions of the assignment
Reserve originality checker use for papers requiring citations instead of for personal reflections or other writing that contains individually-identifying information
Be transparent about expectations for original work and how you are using these kinds of checkers
In an industry response to concerns around academic integrity and generative AI use, a multitude of AI detection tools are now readily available. These tools claim to be able to detect AI writing versus student-generated writing, although their accuracy varies considerably. While many tools claim high accuracy rates in identifying AI-generated content, it is not uncommon for third-party evaluations to reveal a significant rate of false positives. As such, even detectors with strong records in identifying AI-generated content may mislabel human-authored text as AI-generated. False positives carry the risk of significantly eroding student trust and motivation. Perhaps most alarming, early research and anecdotal evidence indicates that false positives are more likely to occur among students who are English Language Learners or students with cognitive, developmental, or psychiatric disabilities.
We encourage faculty to consult with their respective departments or schools to determine if there are any required AI syllabus statements or specific guidelines applicable to their discipline. Any and all generative AI approaches should be aligned with PSU’s Academic Misconduct Policy.
As an alternative to the physical monitoring which takes place during in-person exam proctoring, exam proctoring software allows student behavior to be monitored virtually. The use of exam proctoring software is driven by a variety of factors: large courses, a large teaching load, exam reuse from term to term, barriers to closely monitoring student completion of exams, lack of grading time, etc. For faculty, this software can create a sense of security, especially for online exams.
Both students and faculty, however, have voiced concerns about using this type of proctoring software. The main concern is student privacy. Among other functions, the software records students and their environments. This can feel invasive to students and erode trust. Additionally, the software records physical behaviors such as eye and head movements in order to hypothesize the likelihood that a student engaged in academic dishonesty. While this may appear helpful on the surface, these metrics can unfairly punish disabled students whose bodies often work differently than the software expects (e.g. looking around frequently). Though students with disabilities can go through the formal ADA accommodation request process to circumvent this, studies show that the majority of disabled students cannot and do not access this nor are they mandated to if they choose not to.
Finally, it’s worth noting that even in the most ideal circumstances, exam proctoring software is not foolproof. A variety of products exist that can “trick” this kind of software and render its accuracy even less reliable.
Alternatives for Use
Besides the tools described above, what other tech strategies are possible? When using Canvas for tests, exams, and quizzes, there are several methods of adapting the Canvas Quiz settings to assist with ensuring integrity. While it is advisable to be transparent about whatever settings are enabled on a quiz, test, or exam, faculty can:
A key strategy for fostering academic integrity is scaffolding assignments, which helps students break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. By integrating elements such as outlines, drafts, peer reviews, and final submissions, scaffolding reduces the pressure associated with high-stakes assignments, thus discouraging academic misconduct. Low-stakes assessments are another critical tool because they allow students to practice skills and concepts without the pressure of a major grade. These assessments—non-graded quizzes, reflections, and exit tickets, for example—help students build competency over time and promote a learning environment focused on growth instead of performance. Offering diverse assessment types, such as presentations, projects, and group work, further reduces opportunities for academic dishonesty because students are evaluated in a variety of ways that require original thinking.
Active learning and student-centered pedagogies, such as flipped classrooms, are also highly effective in promoting academic integrity. Flipped classrooms, where students engage with course material outside of class and spend in-class time applying that knowledge through discussion and activities, encourage a deeper understanding of course content and reduce reliance on traditional exams. Active learning approaches, which include case studies, group work, and problem-solving activities, engage students in critical thinking and collaborative learning, which minimize the risk of cheating. By focusing on application instead of rote memorization, these methods make it more difficult for students to engage in dishonest practices.
Project-based learning (PBL) fosters academic integrity by linking assessments to real-world applications and outcomes, thus motivating students to engage authentically with the material. PBL assignments often require collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, reducing the opportunity and temptation to cheat. Furthermore, incorporating meta-teaching strategies where students are guided to reflect on their learning processes enhances self-awareness and personal accountability in their academic work. This helps students understand how to apply integrity in their studies because they become more aware of their personal goals and responsibilities when it comes to learning.
Alternative assessments, such as ungrading and labor-based grading, promote a focus on the learning process rather than final results. These methods emphasize feedback and reflection, which reduces performance anxiety and fosters deeper engagement with the material. In ungrading, students receive qualitative feedback instead of traditional letter grades. This helps shift the emphasis from achieving a particular grade to improving understanding and skills. Labor-based grading, which assesses students based on the effort and time they invest in their work, also fosters integrity by valuing persistence and growth over final outcomes. Reflection assignments also encourage students to engage in metacognitive thinking that helps them internalize the importance of ethical behavior in their academic journeys.
Clear and detailed assignment sheets, rubrics, and expectations can play a significant role in reducing academic misconduct. PSU’s Writing Center emphasizes that providing transparent guidelines helps students understand what is required and reduces ambiguity, which can lead to unintentional misconduct. Additionally, using low-effort cheating reduction methods, such as randomizing quiz questions or incorporating peer reviews, helps discourage dishonesty without requiring significant changes to course design. Combining these approaches ensures that students are supported and encouraged to engage ethically with their work.
Establishing a sense of safety in the classroom is crucial for fostering academic integrity. When students feel secure—both emotionally and intellectually—they are more likely to engage in honest academic practices. Faculty can create a safe learning environment by fostering an inclusive and supportive atmosphere that encourages students to take intellectual risks without fear of judgment or retribution. Trauma-informed teaching practices are particularly important, because they emphasize flexibility, understanding, and empathy—all of which help create an environment where students feel safe to ask for help instead of resorting to dishonest behaviors when they struggle academically.
Equity and inclusion practices are also central to creating a classroom where all students feel respected and valued, which in turn supports academic integrity. When students perceive that their identities and experiences are acknowledged and respected, they are more likely to engage meaningfully with their coursework. Faculty can incorporate equity practices, such as diversifying course content to reflect multiple perspectives and using inclusive language, to make the classroom a place where all students feel they belong. By creating an authentic sense of belonging, faculty reduce the likelihood that students will feel alienated or pressured to use plagiarism to foster that sense of belonging instead.
Fostering intrinsic motivation is another key factor in promoting academic integrity. Intrinsically motivated students are driven by their own desire to learn rather than by external pressures like grades or competition. Faculty can cultivate this type of motivation by designing courses that highlight the relevance of the material to students’ personal and professional lives. When students see the value in what they are learning, they are more likely to engage deeply with the material. Incorporating student-centered strategies that create space for a wide variety of cognitive and physical needs—such as Universal Design for Learning—can enhance intrinsic motivation by giving students more ownership over the learning process.
Engaging students through active learning strategies is also essential for promoting academic integrity. Techniques like collaborative projects, discussions, and problem-solving activities not only deepen students’ understanding but also create a sense of responsibility to their peers. This collaborative accountability can deter dishonest behavior as students feel their actions can impact the learning experiences of others.
Promoting academic integrity requires a multifaceted approach that includes clear communication, inclusive teaching practices, and effective use of technology. By fostering a supportive environment and cultivating intrinsic motivation, educators can help students navigate academic challenges with authentic engagement and ensure that integrity remains at the heart of the educational experience.