Academic Integrity and Plagiarism in Higher Education: Disruption since Generative Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Academic integrity is an attitude, grounded in a shared value system, that must be cultivated, preserved, and encouraged within the academic commu-nity. However, there are relatively common practices that undermine it. Among these, plagiarism stands out, as it occurs both out of ignorance and intention-ally-serious in both cases. Since November 2022, the widespread use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has entered the educational field, disrupting these constructs (academic integrity and plagiarism) by introducing new challenges and questioning established definitions. This study proposes an analysis of the values underlying academic integrity, a classification of the definitions and causes of plagiarism, and a strategic model encompassing prevention, pedagogy, detection, and sanctions. The model is based on a narrative review of 149 docu-ments indexed in Scopus and published between 2021 and 2024. The review was conducted personally, with the support of Google’s NotebookLM, within a con-ceptual framework that distinguishes between transactional and transformative education. The findings may be used by higher education institutions to develop regulatory frameworks and specific actions aimed at fostering academic integrity and mitigating plagiarism.