In a review of the top surveys on cheating in college by Donald McCabe and others from the last several decades, James Lang (2013) noted overall incidence rates in the range of 65% to 82%. Keeping in mind that these are based on self-report data, which rely on student honesty in the reporting, accurate memories, and a clear understanding of what constitutes cheating, these results suggest that academic integrity continues to be a challenging and yet critical issue for higher education. After graduation, research shows that there is a high correlation (66% for undergraduates, 61% for graduate students) between cheating in college and dishonest actions in the workplace (Nonis & Swift, 2001). Yet 40% of faculty in a multi-institutional study reported that they ignored student cheating on one or more occasions (Coren, 2011). Of the 83% of respondents in Coren’s study who did talk with a student they believed to be cheating, those who had a prior “bad” experience were more likely to ignore cheating in the future, less likely to believe the administration would back faculty who confront cheating, and more likely to feel that it was one of the most negative aspects of their job, compared to those who reported “good” experiences. Beyond student integrity, a meta-analysis of the studies investigating the prevalence of research misconduct among faculty found that between .3% and 4.9% of researchers admitted to having falsified or fabricated their data. A much higher percentage, 33.7%, have reportedly engaged in one or more of a wide range of Questionable Research Practices (Fanelli, 2009)
