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Cited by 359Academic integrity and plagiarismEthics in Business and EducationHigher Education Governance and Development

Academic integrity: A review of the literature

Macfarlane, Bruce, Zhang, Jingjing, Pun, Annie·2014·Studies in Higher Education
DOI 10.1080/03075079.2012.709495
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Abstract

This article provides a literature review on academic integrity, which encompasses the values, behaviour and conduct of academics in all aspects of their practice. This is a growing area of academic research as a result of the expansion of higher education on a global basis and concerns about standards of professional conduct. The article maps the main strands of research on academic integrity by reference to teaching, research and service using 115 articles derived from both western and Chinese literature. The review indicates that much of the literature is framed in terms of misconduct or academic corruption with research ethics the dominant focus. Researchers investigating academic integrity draw predominantly on multivariate analysis using surveys/questionnaires, documentary analysis and, more occasionally, interviews. While there has been rapid growth in the literature, a stronger focus is needed on identifying ‘ethical’ as well as ‘unethical’ practice despite the methodological challenges in overcoming social desirability reporting.

Integrity signals

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Crossref · 10.1080/03075079.2012.709495

Cites

140 of 140 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Existing academic integrity frameworks primarily address traditional forms of misconduct, such as plagiarism and cheating, focusing on moral reasoning and institutional codes rather than technology-mediated ethics.

    “Existing academic integrity frameworks (e.g., Borenstein & Howard, 2021;Eaton, 2022;Macfarlane et al., 2014) primarily address traditional forms of misconduct, such as plagiarism and cheating, focusing on moral reasoning and institutional codes rather than technology-mediated ethics.”

    From Academic Integrity and Students’ Ethical Use of ChatGPT in Higher Education (2026) · cites this paper as Macfarlane et al., 2014

  • Academic integrity lacks a universally accepted definition in the AI era.

    “Traditionally linked to plagiarism and cheating (Macfarlane et al., 2014), it lacks a universally accepted definition in the AI era (Hagège, 2023).”

    From Academic Integrity and Students’ Ethical Use of ChatGPT in Higher Education (2026) · cites this paper as Macfarlane et al., 2014

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Authors
Macfarlane, B., Zhang, J., & Pun, A.
Affiliations
  • ,
  • Beijing Normal University (CN)
  • University of Hong Kong (HK)
Corresponding author
Macfarlane, Bruce
ORCID
Venue
Studies in Higher Education
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2012-08-02
Volume
39
Issue
2
Pages
339-358
ISSN
  • 0307-5079 (ISSN-L)
  • 1470-174X
DOI
10.1080/03075079.2012.709495
OpenAlex
W2076459868
Cited by
359
References
144
Citations by year
2026: 59 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1
FWCI
19.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Studies in Higher Education (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
  • The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Academic integrity and plagiarism
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Ethics in Business and Education
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Higher Education Governance and Development
Keywords
academic integrity, academic misconduct, academic corruption, research ethics, teacher ethics, service ethics, higher education expansion, social desirability bias, ethical practice

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