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Understanding academic integrity
Academic Integrity refers to a set of behaviours and attitudes within the academic community. It involves internalizing and furthering compliance with ethical and professional principles and standards.
The scope of academic integrity - area of application
Academic integrity applies to all key missions and activities related to higher education.
Academic missions
Learning, teaching, research, governance, outreach, and any other related tasks.
Location
Activities conducted both inside or outside the higher education institution.
Membership
The duties and rights associated with fulfilling and protecting academic integrity apply to all members of the academic community.
Why academic integrity matters
Societal trust
It underpins societal trust in higher education and research.
Quality assurance
It plays an essential role in ensuring the quality of higher education.
Legitimation and reputation
It is essential to the legitimation and reputation of higher education.
Public debate
It enables the academic community to inform public debate on the results, standards, and methods of academic research with authenticity and intellectual rigour.
International cooperation
It is central in building trust between higher education systems, which is crucial for all forms of international cooperation and mobility.
Roles and duties
While academic freedom is essential, it is not an absolute value. Its exercise is complex and must be framed by specific standards and considerations as well as be weighed against other fundamental values.
Academic staff
Have a special responsibility in adhering to and promoting academic integrity, setting an example from which students can learn. Teachers must create a safe learning environment where a healthy error and quality culture is developed, recognizing that identifying shortcomings and errors is an integral part of quality learning, teaching, and research.
Students
Although they are members still in training, students have the same obligation to promote and respect academic integrity as other members of the community.
Administrative staff and leaders
Should ensure fairness and transparency in their work.
Higher education institutions
Should empower the academic community through proper training, adequate guidance, and support to develop the understanding, skills, and competences required to apply academic integrity. They should establish transparent regulations, standards, and guidelines.
Frameworks and prevention
For academic integrity to be successfully fostered, it is important to create an environment that prevents misconduct and nourishes integrity, rather than only pursuing and redressing academic misconduct. Ultimately, successful implementation relies on a culture of academic integrity among all members of the academic community.
Requirements for higher education institutions
Institutions should consider developing codes of ethics that describe issues of integrity and transparency in easily understandable language. These codes should be co-created with students, academic, and administrative staff. They must outline ethical principles, types of individual and organized misconduct, appropriate differentiated measures, and sanctions.
Quality assurance
References to academic integrity policies in learning, teaching, research, administration, and institutional governance should be included in quality assurance procedures. These should be reviewed by appropriate internal and external bodies in line with European and national frameworks
Public authority requirements
Public authorities should establish adequate frameworks, including ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for higher education and creating administrative frameworks that promote collaboration over competition and quality over quantity in academic outputs.
Addressing modern challenges
While academic freedom is essential, it is not an absolute value. Its exercise is complex and must be framed by specific standards and considerations and be weighed against other fundamental values.
Digital technologies
This includes the context of emerging digital technologies, such as the use of artificial intelligence
Data handling
Academic integrity is also requited in the handling of data
Organized misconduct
Public authorities must cooperate at the international level to counter and eliminate practices such as diploma mills, contract cheating, misuse of research results, and other forms of organised misconduct and corruption within administrative processes and institutional governance. Public authorities and the academic community should adopt and periodically review recommendations and guidelines on good educational practice related to digital technologies to set standards and limits for their use
Academic integrity acts like the mortar and foundation of the academic house, ensuring that every brick of research, teaching, and learning is structurally sound and trustworthy, allowing the whole building to stand strong enough to inform and benefit society.
Resources
Tirana Ministerial Communiqué
Tirana Statement on fundamental values
Paris Ministerial Communiqué
European Strategy for Universities
Slide deck on Fundamental Values (PPT)
Bologna Process Implementation Report 2024 - Fundamental Values Chapter