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With exams just around the corner, students from Bournemouth University talk about what academic integrity means to them, how using it means they get better marks, how to avoid committing an academic offence and where to get help when they need it.

Bias in research and its benefits, power imbalances and other inequities has long plagued scientific collaboration. “Unfairness, inequity and a lack of diversity must no longer prevent the global research enterprise from maximizing scientific integrity and realizing the ultimate societal value and benefits of research”, write ethics experts in the Cape Town Statement on Fostering Research Integrity through Fairness and Equity. The statement includes 20 recommendations to guide all stakeholders in achieving more just research practice.

According to the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), at least one out of every three people employed in Kenya has a fake academic certificate, i.e. About 30 per cent (at least 250,000) of the civil service workforce. In March 2023, the Kenya Medical Training College revoked the admission of 53 medical trainees after it was discovered that they had joined the institution using fake secondary school certificates. The Public Service Commission and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission then ordered all public and private employers to conduct audits of employees' academic qualifications over the past ten years to ensure their accountability.

A survey of 125 university librarians across the US has discovered differing opinions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Looking into the ethics of AI use, the report said that 8% of librarians stated a definitive ‘yes’ when asked if they believe it is cheating if students use AI products for research, while 42% felt this to be somewhat true. Major concerns include cheating, eliminating or reducing critical thinking and originality, and replacing human jobs.

Fontys University in the Netherlands is keen to teach students to think about the impact and use of educational technology through the Moral Design Game. Based on scientific insights, the game challenges players to think about the dominant values that various stakeholders draw on to make decisions. The goal of the game is to inspire and teach students, teachers, and staff to improve their thinking and debate ethical questions.

Under the new measures approved on academic integrity for all its candidates, all Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members standing for election will have to list their degrees and sign an academic ethics statement declaring that they did not engage in plagiarism, falsification or ghostwriting when writing their theses. This follows the revoke of various doctoral degrees of DPP members for plagiarism allegations.