The History, Evolution, and Trends of Academic Dishonesty: A Literature Review

Abstract

Academic dishonesty is a murky problem without a commonly agreed upon solution in American higher education. It has a long-standing history in higher education but a short history in academic literature, it has evolved rapidly and longitudinally (McCabe & Trevino, 1996), and it has several easily apparent trends and others that the majority of researchers are in disagreement about. While traversing this perilous landscape of dichotomies, this paper will examine connections and gaps in the literature, make suggestions and recommendations for future study based off of these results, and examine the implications that these recommendations could have on higher education policy. Results demonstrate that a learning-based, non-penal approach to academic dishonesty may be the most helpful stance that institutions can take for their students. Key areas of interest to the author include the intersections of technology, generational change, and self-authorship, and these areas will be focused on in detail throughout the literature review.