Dr. Donald McCabe, one of the International Center of Academic Integrity (ICAI) founders, has studied academic honesty since 1990. He has developed a survey to conduct research amongst the USA high schools and colleges.

In March 2020, ICAI analysts improved and updated McCabe’s study and presented the following statistics: 95% of the surveyed students admitted they participated in “some form of cheating, whether it was on a test, plagiarism, or copying homework.”

This data provokes even more discussions on protecting academic integrity now as AI technologies rapidly advance, giving students additional instruments to cut corners.

The importance of academic integrity for students

Naturally, with all the workload students have and all the tools modern technologies offer, the temptation to cheat is stirring. The learners look for ways how to plagiarize without getting caught, putting at risk not only their reputation and grades but the whole future, often without understanding it.

  1. There are no reliable answers to how to plagiarize without getting caught. With all the incredible technologies available, educators also have the tools to check for plagiarism – yes, even the intricate and “smart” cases of paraphrasing and replacing words with synonyms. Moreover, teachers can even trace the AI-generated texts.
  2. A jeopardized reputation has long-term consequences. Not only do you break the trust between you and your teachers, who talk to each other and may share the fact some students have plagiarism-related violations. Plagiarism is a serious offense – once unveiled, even years after graduation, it entails reputation loss, doctorate revoking, and even political scandals (check out some vivid examples).
  3. Crafting an assignment helps to process the material you learn and may need for your future career. By plagiarising your project, you miss the opportunity to make the most of your time at the academy.
  4. The whole idea of learning is to shape the mindset, develop critical thinking, form beliefs and attitudes, understand yourself, and dare to experiment. No way you can do it by repeating someone else’s thoughts and copying someone’s opinions. The best it can give you is living a pointless life with no goals and dreams of your own.

How to protect academic integrity

The teachers know it is hard to overestimate the importance of academic integrity as it literally serves the purpose of education, sharpening the minds and fostering individual thinking. Moreover, it protects the idea of equal opportunities for all students and guards the academic reputation of educational institutions.

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