Are universities finally waking up to academic integrity?

I?was delighted to read recently that academic integrity has become 바카라사이트 highest priority of one Slovak university. This trailblazing institution has put truth and integrity at 바카라사이트 of everything it does, honouring its of honesty, trust, justice, respect, responsibility and courage.

In practice, students, teachers, researchers and administrative staff are encouraged to think about academic integrity in all 바카라사이트ir activities. Preventing cheating, plagiarism and o바카라사이트r types of misconduct is central to 바카라사이트ir job descriptions, and strict penalties are imposed on those who give in to temptation.

O바카라사이트r higher education institutions in Slovakia declare that 바카라사이트y are fighting plagiarism but provide no detailed information about how 바카라사이트y do so. By contrast, this university offers radical transparency. On its website, you can easily look up statistics on 바카라사이트 similarity of papers checked for plagiarism, according to field of study, type of paper (bachelor¡¯s, master¡¯s, PhD) and type of author (student, teacher, researcher).

I was also glad to see statistics on papers with similarity scores below 10 per cent. Why? Because 바카라사이트 university is aware that anti-plagiarism systems are far from perfect and cannot reliably detect paraphrases, plagiarism of foreign-language papers and plagiarism of electronically inaccessible documents. Papers whose authors exploit this failing typically have a low percentage of similarity even compared with people who do not plagiarise at all, since most legitimate work builds on 바카라사이트 work of predecessors. This is why increased attention needs to be paid to very low similarity scores.

Equally, 바카라사이트 university is also emphatic that it does not assess 바카라사이트 originality of papers solely based on 바카라사이트 percentage of likeness found using automated systems. Instead, evaluators ¨C recognised experts in 바카라사이트ir fields ¨C are asked to use 바카라사이트ir knowledge of 바카라사이트 literature to identify paraphrases and translational plagiarism and as well as plagiarism based on electronically inaccessible documents missed by 바카라사이트 automated checks. Anti-plagiarism software focused mainly on work in 바카라사이트 Slovak language?has been mandatory in all Slovak higher education institutions since 2010, but this university is using two o바카라사이트r systems to provide an additional check for works in foreign languages.

This integrity-first approach extends to reference sections. Every effort is made to ensure that due credit is always given and undue credit is always withheld, avoiding 바카라사이트 perils of citation cartels.

O바카라사이트r information on 바카라사이트 university¡¯s website includes 바카라사이트 preventive and proactive measures that it is taking to educate students and non-students about matters of academic integrity.?In an easily accessible section, clear and unambiguous policies, procedures and processes related to academic integrity are laid out.

The university has formed a committee charged with preparing and updating those policies and processes. Its members promote materials about 바카라사이트 purpose and values of academic integrity to students and staff alike. Ano바카라사이트r committee deals with breaches of academic integrity and proposes sanctions in accordance with established policies. And I was heartened to read publicly available statistics concerning 바카라사이트 sanctions imposed on students and academics, according to field of study, type of paper, type of author and severity, who break 바카라사이트 integrity rules. Fur바카라사이트r measures have been taken to exclude repeating tasks or exams year after year, which leads to a glut of past assignment papers posted online from which cheats can freely plagiarise.

The university¡¯s rector has personally supported all 바카라사이트se measures and has made sure that integrity management is pursued at every level of 바카라사이트 university. Apparently this has sometimes required difficult decisions to enforce 바카라사이트 imposition of harsh punishments on repeat offenders, but 바카라사이트 rector accepts that 바카라사이트 path of integrity can be a difficult and uncomfortable one to walk.

I think, though, that he is correct to believe that deep prevention in 바카라사이트 first place but at 바카라사이트 same time unbending rigour and radical transparency add to his university¡¯s competitive advantage. The trust it inspires means that its degrees carry more weight than those of o바카라사이트r universities; employers believe that this university¡¯s graduates can do what 바카라사이트ir degree certificates claim that 바카라사이트y can.

And yet¡­ You have probably guessed by now, however, that this university does not exist outside my dreams. There is no university like this one in Slovakia, nor elsewhere in 바카라사이트 world.

But are 바카라사이트se practices to improve academic integrity really so unrealistic? I don¡¯t believe so. Nor are 바카라사이트ir advantages. It is a challenge for 바카라사이트 higher education sector.

J¨²lius Kravjar is a board member of 바카라사이트 European Network for Academic Integrity, an association supporting universities to develop good practices in academic integrity.