Academic dishonesty and research productivity in a changing higher education environment: the case of India’s engineering institutions

The Indian academic system is in a period of rapid transition, evidenced by the in- creasing number of higher education institutions, students and academics. How- ever, very few studies have explored academics’ research productivity and the vari- ous factors influencing it. Even those few studies have largely ignored the influenc- es of indigenous factors and academic dishonesty on research productivity. Using a mixed-method approach, this research explores how the changing academic en- vironment influences academics’ research productivity in South Indian engineer- ing institutions established after 1990. Important demographic factors influencing research productivity have been identified. The results show that indigenous fac- tors play a major role in motivating the academics to conduct research, whereas corruption/academic dishonesty, thought to be prevalent at all levels in the higher educational system, tend to reduce their research motivation. The research shows the complex interconnections between the changing academic environment, in- digenous factors and academic dishonesty, and their influence on academics’ re- search. The results of this work can be used for informing future higher education policy-making in terms of increasing research productivity and decreasing a range of academic dishonesty in the context of a rapidly changing academic system.