Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore an integrative approach to academic ethics research. Academic ethics is known as professional commitment towards ethical decision-making in education, research, and innovation. It has been practised in multiple forms, including academic integrity and research ethics within a larger educational and research landscape. Despite having several intertwining and overlapping features and principles of practice, higher education institutions all over the world have considered academic integrity and research ethics as two distinct subjects of practice. Although the developmental history, guiding values, and principle-based practices of both academic integrity and research ethics have led us to separate theoretical and methodological understandings, the concurrently emerging threats towards ethical integrity in education, research, and innovation require an integrative approach to academic ethics. In this conceptual paper, I propose an integrative approach to academic ethics research based on the theoretical concepts/constructs and methodological practices of both academic integrity and research ethics in higher education. The integrative approach frames an Integrity Resolution, a positionality framework for academic ethics researchers. It aims to assist researchers and research practitioners of academic ethics to be aware of their own positioning while investigating ethical decision-making practices and misconduct in education and research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdi, S., Nemery, B., & Dierickx, K. (2021). What criteria are used in the investigation of alleged cases of research misconduct? Accountability in Research, 30(2), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2021.1973894.
Acharya, D. R., & Dahal, B. (2023). Sociocultural aspects of exam cheating in Nepali higher education: A call for research action [Paper presentation]. European Conference on Ethics and Integrity in Academia (ECEIA) 2023, Derby, UK. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372308799_Sociocultural_Aspects_of_Exam_Cheating_in_Nepali_Higher_Education_A_Call_for_Research_Action.
Akuffo, A. G. (2023). When the researched refused confidentiality: Reflections from fieldwork experience in Ghana. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21, 567–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09471-x.
Birch, M., Miller, T., Mauthner, M., & Jessop, J. (2012). Introduction to the second edition. In M. Mauthner, M. Birch, J. Jessop, & T. Miller (Eds.), Ethics in qualitative research (pp. 1–13). Sage.
Bos, J. (2020). Research ethics for students in the social sciences. Springer.
Carter, M. (2003). Telling tales out of school: What’s the fate of a black story in a white world of white stories? In G. R. Lopez, & L. Parker (Eds.), Interrogating racism in qualitative research methodology (pp. 29–48). Peter Lang.
Chambers, C. (2004). Research that matters: Finding a path with heart. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies, 2(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.25071/1916-4467.16867.
Chilisa, B. (2019). Indigenous research methodologies (2nd ed.). Sage.
Clarke, C., Broussine, M., & Watts, L. (2015). Researching with feeling: The emotional aspects of social and organizational research. Routledge.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.
Curtis, G. J. (2023). Guilt, shame and academic misconduct. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21, 743–757. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09480-w.
Curtis, G. J., & Clare, J. (2024). Academic integrity scholarship: The importance of theory. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second handbook of academic integrity (pp. 1651–1669). Springer.
Curtis, G. J., Cowcher, E., Greene, B. R., Rundle, K., Paull, M., & Davis, M. C. (2018). Self-control, injunctive norms, and descriptive norms predict engagement in plagiarism in a theory of planned behavior model. Journal of Academic Ethics, 16, 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-018-9309-2.
Dahal, B. (2024). Participants’ right to withdraw from research: Researchers’ lived experience on ethics of withdrawal. Journal of Academic Ethics, 22, 191–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09513-y.
Eaton, S. E. (2021a). Academic integrity and literacy. In L. Hunt, & D. Chalmers (Eds.), University teaching in focus: A learning-centred approach (pp. 163–178). Routledge.
Eaton, S. E. (2021b). Plagiarism in higher education: Tackling though topics in academic integrity. Libraries Unlimited.
Eaton, S. E. (2022a). Academic integrity and research ethics as transdisciplinary fields of research [Paper presentation]. 8th European Conference on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism (ECAIP) 2022, Porto, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39745.
Eaton, S. E. (2022b). New priorities for academic integrity: Equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and indigenization. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 18, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-022-00105-0.
Eaton, S. E. (2024a). Academic and research integrity as transdisciplinary fields of scholarship and professional practice. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second handbook of academic integrity (pp. 1633–1650). Springer.
Eaton, S. E. (2024b). Comprehensive academic integrity (CAI): An ethical framework for educational contexts. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second handbook of academic integrity (1–14). Springer.
Eaton, S. E. (2024c). Supporting graduate students to avoid predatory publishing and questionable conference. In P. Habibie & I. Fazel (Eds.) Predatory practices in scholarly publishing and knowledge sharing: Causes and implications for scholarship (pp. 183–197). Routledge.
Eaton, S. E., Carmichael, J. J., & Pethrick, H. (2023). Fake degrees and fraudulent credentials in higher education. Springer.
Feenstra, R. A., López-Cózar, D., E., & Pallarés-Domínguez, D. (2021). Research misconduct in the fields of ethics and philosophy: Researchers’ perceptions in Spain. Science Engineering Ethics, 27(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00278-w.
Ferguson, C. D., Toye, M. A., & Eaton, S. E. (2023). Contract cheating and student stress: Insights from a Canadian community college. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21, 685–717. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09476-6.
Grenz, J. (2023). University ethics boards are not ready for indigenous scholars. Nature, 616, 221. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00974-6.
Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L., & Heredia-Escorza, Y. (2020). Impact of academic integrity on workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 16, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-0051-3.
Guillemin, M., & Gillam, L. (2004). Ethics, reflexivity, and ethically important moments in research. Qualitative Inquiry, 10(2), 261–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800403262360.
Hall, J., & Martin, B. R. (2019). Towards a taxonomy of research misconduct: The case of business school research. Research Policy, 48(2), 414–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.03.006.
Haug, F. (1999). Memory-work as a method of social science research: A detailed rendering of memory-work method. http://www.friggahaug.inkrit.de/documents/memorywork-researchguidei7.pdf.
Hayward, A., Sjoblom, E., Sinclair, S., & Cidro, J. (2021). A new era of indigenous research: Community-based indigenous research ethics protocols in Canada. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 16(4), 403–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646211023705
Hess, Y., & Pickett, C. L. (2017). Social cognition and attitudes. In R. Biswas-Diener, & E. Diener (Eds.), Together: The science of social psychology (pp. 119–139). DEF.
Hossain, Z. (2022). University freshmen recollect their academic integrity literacy experience during their K-12 years: Results of an empirical study. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 18, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00096-4.
Hyytinen, H., & Löfström, E. (2017). Reactively, proactively, implicitly, explicitly? Academics’ pedagogical conceptions of how to promote research ethics and integrity. Journal of Academic Ethics, 15, 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-016-9271-9.
Ibrahim, A. (2014). Research as an act of love: Ethics, Émigrés, and the praxis of becoming human. Diaspora Indigenous and Minority Education, 8(1), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2013.803464.
International Center for Academic Integrity [ICAI] (2021). The fundamental values of academic integrity. (3rd ed.). https://academicintegrity.org/images/pdfs/20019_ICAI-Fundamental-Values_R12.pdf.
Israel, M. (2015). Research ethics and integrity for social scientists: Beyond regulatory compliance (2nd ed.). Sage.
Jordan, S. R. (2013). Conceptual clarification and the task of improving research on academic ethics. Journal of Academic Ethics, 11, 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-013-9190-y.
Kara, H. (2018). Research ethics in the real world: Euro-Western and indigenous perspectives. Policy Press.
Kara, H., & Pickering, L. (2017). New directions in qualitative research ethics. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(3), 239–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2017.1287869.
Kezar, A., & Bernstein-Sierra, S. (2024). Commercialization of higher education. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second handbook of academic integrity (pp. 1867–1887). Springer.
Kovach, M. (2021). Indigenous methodologies: Characteristics, conversations and contexts (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Lindstrom, G. E. (2022). Accountability, relationality and indigenous epistemology: Advancing an indigenous perspective on academic integrity. In S. E. Eaton, & J. Christensen Hughes (Eds.), Academic Integrity in Canada: An enduring and essential challenges (pp. 125–139). Springer.
Luck, J., Chugh, R., Turnbull, D., & Pember, E. R. (2022). Glitches and hitches: Sessional academic staff viewpoints on academic integrity and academic misconduct. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(4), 1152–1167. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1890697.
Msoroka, M. S., & Amundsen, D. (2017). One size fits not quite all: Universal research ethics with diversity. Research Ethics, 14(3), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747016117739939.
Opfermann, L. S. (2022). Ethics as a moral duty: Proposing an integrated ethics framework for migration research. Journal of Human Rights Practice, 14(3), 1129–1149. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huac036.
Parnther, C. (2024). Decolonization, equity, diversity, and inclusion in academic integrity: Introduction. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second handbook of academic integrity (pp. 1115–1127). Springer.
Penaluna, L., & Ross, R. (2022). How to talk about academic integrity so students will listen: Addressing ethical decision-making using scenarios. In S. E. Eaton, & J. Christensen Hughes (Eds.), Academic integrity in Canada: An enduring and essential challenge (pp. 393–409). Springer.
Pizzolato, D., & Dierickx, K. (2022). Research integrity supervision practices and institutional support: A qualitative study. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21, 427–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-022-09468-y.
Plummer, K. (2001). The moral and human face of life stories: Reflexivity, power and ethics. In Document of life 2 (2nd ed.). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849208888.
Poitras Pratt, Y., & Gladue, K. (2022). Re-defining academic integrity: Embracing indigenous truths. In S. E. Eaton, & J. Christensen Hughes (Eds.), Academic integrity in Canada: An enduring and essential challenges (pp. 103–123). Springer.
Quigley, D. (2016). Applying place to research ethics and cultural competence/humility training. Journal of Academic Ethics, 14, 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-015-9251-5.
Ruzycki, S. M., & Ahmed, S. B. (2022). Equity, diversity and inclusion are foundational research skills. Nature Human Behaviour, 6, 910–912. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01406-7.
Sivasubramaniam, S., Dlabolová, D. H., Kralikova, V., & Khan, Z. R. (2021). Assisting you to advance with ethics in research: An introduction to ethical governance and application procedures. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00078-6.
Tauginienė, L., Gaižauskaitė, I., Razi, S., Glendinning, I., Sivasubramaniam, S., Matino, F., Cosentino, M., Anohina-Naumeca, A., & Kravjar, J. (2019). Enhancing the taxonomies relating to academic integrity and misconduct. Journal of Academic Ethics, 17, 345–361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-019-09342-4.
Walsh, L., Lichti, D., Zambrano-Varghese, C., Borgaonkar, A., Sodhi, J., Moon, S., Wester, E., & Callis-Duehl, L. (2021). Why and how science students in the United States think their peers cheat more frequently online: Perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00089-3.
Acknowledgements
The author acknowledges the thoughtful comments and suggestions of Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton and Dr. Helen Kara in different versions of the manuscript. Dr. Pramod K. Sah also read through an initial copy of the text.
Funding
The author did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Transparency
The author used ChatGPT-3.5 in some sentences to improve readability in very early version of the manuscript.
Competing Interests
The author has no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Dahal, B. Framing Integrity Resolution: An Integrative Approach to Academic Ethics. J Acad Ethics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09529-4
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09529-4