Reflections on academic integrity and academic dishonesty: How did we get here, and how do we get out?

Abstract

In this article, I present a reflection based on my professional experience as a teacher and supervisor of national Grade 12 examination required as the first step for admission into post-secondary institutions in Nigeria, as well as experience as a doctoral student and graduate research assistant supporting a research grant on academic integrity in a Canadian University. I highlighted the natural reaction of the society when one is perceived to have engaged in a dishonest act citing a notable example from the world’s largest democracy, the US. I also highlighted the definition of academic integrity and forms of academic dishonesty practices that resonates with me, and made recommendations on how to address what has become a thorn in the flesh of the academic world.