Every decision in life has a push and pull factor; from what are we moving away and towards what are we moving. When confronted with the choice to take a shortcut solution and engage in academic misconduct, struggling students may feel they are moving towards a better course grade and away from the stress of learning. They may weigh the options of getting caught and being punished, without the awareness of long-term learning outcomes. However,  academic dishonesty is purely punitive, thus making misconduct solely something to avoid, but, students still won’t understand why it is so important to foster original ideas, attribution, and other forms of academic integrity. 

What is academic integrity?

Academic writing is formal writing commonly used in universities, colleges, research publications, and generally in scholarly discourse. Academic writing is subtly a form of reasoning or argument about a topic falling within a field of study, such as history or psychology. It involves entering into a conversation with others however, the way this conversation is carried out differs from how everyday conversation unfolds. Yes, academic writing involves expressing your ideas, but those ideas need to be presented as a response to some other person or group; and they also need to be carefully elaborated, well-supported, logically sequenced, rigorously reasoned, and tightly stitched together. 

In academic settings, we write for many different purposes such as reading responses, book reviews, argumentative essays, literature reviews, empirical research articles, grant proposals, conference abstracts, commentaries, memoranda, and many other text types. Each of form of academic writing has its purpose, organizational structure, and linguistic features. Additionally, when it comes to academic writing, the main difference from the conventional writing style is its formal and straightforward tone. Therefore, you can distinguish an academic work through its characteristics such as:

  • Formal tone
  • Unbiased in nature
  • Precise, straightforward, and clear
  • Well-structured and constructed
  • Factual with properly cited sources.

Integrity is a concept that represents consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. Integrity means being honest and having strong moral principles. A person with integrity behaves ethically and does the right thing, even behind closed doors.  

Academic integrity is the moral code or ethical policy of academia that entails a commitment to honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. It involves avoiding plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic misconduct. The key aspects of academic integrity include:

  • Being truthful, giving credit, and providing facts
  • Applying rules consistently, engaging with others equitably, and taking responsibility for our  actions
  • Acknowledging the contributions of other people when using their ideas
  • Producing genuine and authentic work that represents one’s abilities

Academic integrity is about doing the right thing in all aspects of your academic work. You should behave honestly in exams, class discussions, and assessments, particularly when it comes to crediting the work of other people including your peers, and acknowledging the ideas of other people. 

What is the importance of integrity in academic writing?

  • Academic writing is uniquely focused on adding to the traditions of knowledge within any given field. Thus, when writers uphold their integrity by faithfully reporting their research and giving proper attribution to others’ work, they establish confidence with colleagues and audiences alike. That trust between writer and reader is paramount for academic communication and the advancement of knowledge.
  • Integrity means authors must present their findings and ideas truthfully, not by tampering with data or plagiarizing other people’s work. Intellectual honesty is necessary to further the cause of both science and scholarship, as only on precise, available information can subsequent researchers base their findings.
  • Academic integrity supports learning opportunities. Shortcut solutions like plagiarism, contract cheating, and test banks take away learning opportunities for students. When the work is not the student’s own, they aren’t putting their original thoughts on paper. Students then lose the opportunity to receive feedback that is accurate to their needs and the resulting support they may need to further their learning journey.
  • Accurate assessment of student learning is dependent on academic integrity. When student answers aren’t their own, it is impossible for educators to get an accurate assessment of learning and to provide feedback or make informed changes to a teaching curriculum.
  • Respect for learning starts with academic integrity. Academic misconduct disrespects the academic work of others and breaks down trust. Respect is a qualitative factor that has long-term consequences in life-long learning. For both students and researchers, proper attribution is critical.
  • Academic integrity is an indicator of future workplace behavior. According to multiple research endeavors, academic dishonesty in school leads to dishonesty in the workplace. The academic integrity journey must be firmly established to ensure a lifetime of integrity.
  • Scandals can affect an institution’s academic reputation and erode the value of a degree. If students are not learning course material, then their foundation of knowledge does not reflect a thorough education– in fields like nursing that can have serious life-and-death consequences. In the field of research, scandals can stain reputations and end an academic career.
  • It gives you knowledge related to the degree you are receiving. Once you realize the worth of your degree, the chances you have for future work are much higher. You want to study. Every class begins to matter much more. It motivates you to attend every important event.
  • You get more value in obtaining a degree. The importance of academic integrity also means you take the initiative and ask yourself about the strategies to succeed, learn about the cheating tactics you should avoid, and become an avid participant in the learning process. It will make you stand out and better your chances of being hired for the career of your dreams.
  • You do your academic work better. You understand why it is important for schools to uphold academic integrity and want to invest and do your best to increase the chances of being seen among all the other learners.

Academic writing is very important in any educational institution because it determines the image of the institution in question.  And thus the responsibility of a student as well as a researcher is to uphold an academic ethic – to contribute to an environment of trust, to foster values, and to engage in genuine learning.  This not only increases the published body of professional knowledge but does so in a manner that also aids the process of making people ethical workers.