Cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions (HEIs): A literature review

1. Introduction

Academic integrity is an essential element for higher education institutions (HEIs) all over the world (Vasylkevych & Lomak, 2020; Hölscher, 2021). Academic integrity is a commitment not only to uphold ethical values, but also to demonstrate behaviors that promote six fundamental principles “honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage” in all aspects of education, research, and scholarly communication within the context of higher education (International Center for Academic Integrity [ICAI], (2021). In this sense, 97% of guardians in the United States of America believe that moral values such as honesty and integrity should be incorporated into the academic curriculum (Pavela, 1993; Shrivastava, 2017) and higher education institutions are responsible for promoting academic integrity (Mattar, 2022) and producing ethically and morally sound graduates (Alhamuddin et al., 2023).

However, higher education institutions around the world are struggling to maintain academic integrity due to the recurrent occurrence of cheating and plagiarism. Cheating and plagiarism are prevalent problems in HEIs that threaten the core principles of education and undermine the student's ethical and moral values (Sozon et al., 2024). The availability of technology-driven artificial intelligence tool, for example, Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) supports to violate academic integrity (Susnjak, 2022) and corrupts user judgment (Krügel et al., 2023), raises concern about ethics and professionalism (Currie, 2023), promotes high-tech plagiarism (Gefen & Arinze, 2023), students not considered as high-risk technology tool about cheat (Fergus et al., 2023), teachers find hard to detect the authenticity of students assignments and exams (Crawford et al., 2023), users may publish the paper as their own (Oravec, 2023), raises ethical and privacy issues (Shahriar & Hayawi, 2023) and sparks controversy among higher education community. In the future, AI is more likely to develop (Tomlinson et al., 2023) and produce more customized educational materials, which may disrupt students' motivation for acquiring knowledge and higher education institutions' learning environment. Moreover, it may also discourage students from developing new skills and abilities by putting in an effort and investing time to sharpen their expertise. AI tool (ChatGPT) is a potential threat to academic integrity in all levels of higher education (Williams & Fadda, 2023) because all types of cheating raise questions regarding the quality of an institution's academic curriculum, the value of its degrees, and the skill of its graduates (Wideman, 2008).

This scope of this study covers various forms of academic integrity violations, from classic exam cheating to sophisticated cases of plagiarism made possible by digital technology. It is crucial to recognize that combating academic misconduct such as cheating, and plagiarism requires a variety of approaches. The authors intend to examine the strategies and interventions that universities can implement to combat cheating and plagiarism. Therefore, understanding the effectiveness of these measures is critical for institutions seeking to protect the integrity of their academic programs.

With this systematic literature review, the authors aim not only to comprehensively synthesize existing knowledge but also to identify gaps in the literature, thereby paving the way for future research efforts. The authors also consider the scope of different studies, the geographical location of the selected papers, research methods, their impact on citations, reasons for cheating and plagiarism, and ways to prevent cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions and contribute to the ongoing discourse on academic integrity, providing educators, administrators, and researchers with valuable insights to inform evidence-based policies and practices.

The four research questions listed below served as the study’s compass in meeting its objectives and identifying the untapped research fields:

This research will provide evidence-based guidance to educators and other responsible stakeholders for the formulation and modification of academic integrity policies and procedures within educational institutions to combat students’ inappropriate academic behavior (cheating and plagiarism). This study will also explore the design and development of plagiarism detection software and innovation assessment systems that encourage critical thinking, originality, and ethical research practices. Thus, the purpose of this literature review is to explore the existing body of knowledge and summarize the results of various academic studies to reveal a comprehensive picture of the prevalence of cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions.

2. Literature review

Cheating and plagiarism are prevalent issues in higher education institutions around the world. HEIs have become increasingly concerned about the prevalence of cheating and plagiarism in recent years. It has further increased due to the unethical application of artificial intelligence tools (AI) in manipulating the examination and writing assignments, reports, case studies, thesis, and research papers. The scholarly publication shows that students are easily able to cheat and plagiarize written assignments through inappropriate applications of technology and AI tools.

Cheating is defined as the use of data, resources, equipment, or methods for the completion of academic tasks in a dishonest manner (Salamah, 2022). The duplication and submission of the work of another student without their permission also come under the umbrella of cheating and it describes the exploitation of prohibited materials, work plagiarizing, or dishonest behavior such as telling lies of being ill or injured as leverage in tests (Hodgkinson et al., 2016). In short, cheating is often adopted to gain an unfair advantage over other students from the teachers.

Cheating is a growing concern in higher education institutions. In the past, many scholarly papers were published to identify and provide solutions to this problem. However, this problem bv hgbvbv cheating.

On the other hand, the term plagiarism stems from the root Latin term “plagiarism” which means “kidnapper/abductor”. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of a source in situations where there is a legitimate expectation of authorship. Plagiarism is using another individual’s thoughts, words, phrases, sentences, or facts and taking them as one’s own (Thomas, 2020). According to Sutton et al. (2014) plagiarism is considered as academic dishonesty or contribution to misleading while taking credit for work that is owned by someone else. In the same way, other authors (Farook et al., 2020; Mbutho & Hutchings, 2021) defined it as a type of academic dishonesty that is considered fraudulent behavior, undermining the intellectual property of the author and obtaining a reward for another’s work. Viewed from a legal perspective, plagiarism is an act of theft of intellectual work ownership (Gullifer & Tyson, 2010, p. 463). It is a violation of intellectual property rights that are protected through copyright laws. It appears that plagiarism has legal as well as ethical ramifications and is sometimes viewed as a violation of moral-ethical aspects as opposed to legal aspects owing to its nature of being outside of the copyright infringement rights boundaries (Mbutho & Hutchings (2021).

Plagiarism is the top frequently used method in academia which breaches the integrity of HEIs. According to the opinion of Butakov et al. (2012), this has become a huge concern in several fields, namely education, research, and industry and it is deemed to be a significant misbehavior breaching academic ethics and intellectual thought. Moreover (Gullifer & Tyson, 2010), described the issue as increasingly worsening among institutions, urging them to focus more on its resolution. The issue is being focused on due to the increasing prevalence of plagiarism in the technological era, aiding students in claiming someone else’s work as their own. Information and communication technologies (ICT) development has led to the promotion of plagiarism among students at higher educational institutions (Rozar et al., 2020). Stealing another’s work breaches the fundamental foundations of the academic community (Helgesson & Eriksson, 2015; Eret & Gokmenoglu, 2010) as it is dishonesty, and a normal and decent person possessing morals and values would never engage in plagiarism behavior.

Various sources are attributable to the rise of plagiarism, among which are the failure to cite sources properly, honest mistakes, and divergent views on what comprises suitable academic behavior/scholastic integrity in different cultures (Sarlauskiene & Stabingis, 2014). This stresses the consideration behind the phenomenon’s motivation when addressing the issue and the fact that evidence-based reasoning may not be effective in clarifying the low levels of students who are penalized or expelled from educational institutions for plagiarizing. This era of internet technology has abetted fraudulent and corrupt behaviors among higher learning institution students, which has become a source of concern. Consequently, the increasing and extensive prevalence of plagiarism in several colleges of industrialized nations has focused on technology to prevent the behavior among students (Thompsett & Ahluwalia, 2010). Regardless of such technological detection of plagiarism, institutions in developed nations are still not leveraging effective plagiarism detection software. Therefore, further study is essential to determine the contributing factors of student plagiarism and design a solution to solve this burning issue.

Cheating and plagiarism in universities have far-reaching consequences. It not only disrupts classroom decorum but also affects students' ethics and professionalism. Cheating and plagiarism can hurt educational institutions, teachers, and learners both domestically and internationally (Pettyjohn et al., 2020). Students who commit academic dishonesty in their educational institutions are likely to continue to engage in similar unethical activities in their professional lives (Ozcan et al., 2022). Moreover, violations of students' academic integrity harm not only students' learning outcomes but also the reputation of educational institutions. Furthermore, students' cheating and plagiarism may lead teachers, prospective students, and researchers to engage in similar inappropriate activities in their fields (Waigand, 2019). Therefore, every effort should be made to detect and prevent students' cheating and plagiarism that affect various stakeholders.

Higher education institutions must address cheating and plagiarism issues seriously. Institutions must put in place effective rules and processes to ensure academic standards and integrity Darman, 2022). To address these challenges, institutions must deploy robust plagiarism detection tools, secure online exam platforms, and clear academic integrity policies, while also fostering a culture of ethical AI use and digital literacy among students (Jenkins et al., 2022). Striking a balance between the benefits and risks of AI in higher education requires a comprehensive and proactive approach to maintaining academic integrity and upholding the ethical standards of education. Failure to do so will destroy the inclusive learning environment designed for ethical practice. Higher education institutions are also required to initiate a combination of educational, technical, and supportive measures to reduce recurrent incidents (Abbasi et al., 2021). One potential solution to address this issue is to increase awareness about the negative consequences of cheating and plagiarism (Kier & Ives, 2022). Another solution is to implement stricter consequences for those who engage in these practices. Additionally, encouraging ethical behavior through education and mentorship can help prevent cheating and plagiarism (Mutongoza & Olawale, 2022). The solution aims to promote a culture of integrity, responsibility, and intellectual growth, and ensure the integrity of the educational experience for all involved. All stakeholders must work closely together to foster a culture of academic integrity in higher education institutions.

Overall, the literature review highlights the significance of sustaining educational ethics and taking action to prevent and address cheating and plagiarism in HEIs. Institutions and individuals must prioritize academic integrity to ensure that students receive a quality education and obtain legitimate qualifications. This research may help to address the challenges relating to students cheating and plagiarism behaviors in educational contexts by offering useful findings to education institutions, policymakers, and professionals. Furthermore, this study will reinforce the necessity to upgrade the existing plagiarism detection software and make it more diversified to detect AI and software-produced write-ups. In summary, this study is critical given the present state of higher education, and it will significantly advance our knowledge of students' unethical behavior in the classroom and teach them to uphold the institution's code of ethics.

3. Methods

A systematic literature review (SLR) refers to a process involving analyses, condensing, and interpretation of research inferences according to sources, while complying with the established rules (Tawfik et al., 2019).

After conducting a comprehensive review of the existing literature, it is clear that the PRISM technique has become widely popular in the field of academic integrity. Zawacki-Richter’s (2020) study, in particular, has been instrumental in bringing clarity, replicability, and a comprehensive synthesis of the literature to academic integrity research.

This study follows PRISMA framework (Page et al., 2021c; Sozon et al., 2024). The PRISMA framework presents a core foundation for the systematic articulation and visualization of the way the study results are acknowledged and reached during the process of review and meta-analysis (Surahman & Wang, 2022). SLR is justifying the conditions for information sources utilized, the procedures of collecting data, providing descriptions of data and reaching conclusions.

3.3 Data collection and analysis

The systematic literature review was carried out in five phases by two researchers following the PRISMA guidelines. The first phase consisted of an initial search of the literature included in the Scopus Database (n=1376). In the second phase, a total of 163 studies were dropped because of duplication of data (EX10). A total of 729 papers were eliminated in the third phase based on the exclusion criteria (EX2: 51; EX9: 678). Subsequent stage, A total of 439 papers were dropped due to the above-written exclusion criteria (EX3:125; EX5: 103; EX6:12; EX7:139; EX8:60). In the fifth phase, consequently, 45 articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. A list of selected papers is shown in PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 1). Moreover, all the selected 45 articles were publications in 34 well-known global index journals for the years 2018-2022, distributed as follows 7 in 2018 (16%), 2 in 2019 (4%), 7 in 2020 (16%), 10 in 2021 (22%), and finally, 19 in 2022 (42%). Besides, these papers also encompass an extensive array of academic subjects, from Social Sciences (84%) to Psychology (7%) and Humanities (9%).

Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram.

The 45 papers that were included in the SLR are available in Extended data file 3. All 45 eligible articles were entered into Microsoft Excel and alphabetically arranged based on authors’ names. Each article was then coded serving as a building block for the content analysis method.

3.5 Risk bias assessment

To ensure the authenticity, reliability, and credibility of the research and included paper for this study, the authors conducted a risk bias assessment (see Figure 2) by applying the Cochrane ‘Risk of bias’ tool for randomized trials (RoB 2.0) (McGuinness & Higgins, 2020). A bias is a “systematic error, or deviation from the truth, in results or interferences”. A study may be at risk of bias due to issues with the conceptualization, design, conduct, or interpretation of the study and this may lead to misleading estimates of effect.

Figure 2. Summary of risk bias assessment (n=45) (McGuinness & Higgins, 2020).

In this process, the authors tried to address the five specific domains where the biases may occur: “bias arising from the randomization process, bias due to deviation from intended intervention, bias due to missing outcome data, bias in the measurement of the outcome, and bias in the selection of the reported results”. Two authors (i and iv) independently applied this tool to each included study to provide supporting information and rationale for assessing the risk of bias in each area (low, high, and moderately concerning). Any conflicts in the decision that risked biasing or justifying the verdicts were resolved through discussion to reach an agreement The authors created a risk of bias summary (low, moderately concerned, high) for each included article Finally, the authors used the Robvis software to summarize the risk assessment and create a risk chart for this systematic review, as shown in Extended data file 2.

This review is therefore fully transparent and able to provide free, fair, natural, and reliable research results to resolve issues related to violations of academic integrity in higher education institutions.

4. Results

The column graph (see Figure 3) shows the annual published papers selected for this review from 2018 to 2022.

Figure 3. Frequency of publication each year (n=45).

The data represent the frequency of publication of cheating and plagiarism for the years 2018 through 2022. To compare the periods before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (which began in late 2019), we can split the data into two groups: pre-COVID (2018-2019) and post-COVID (2020-2022). It seems that the frequency of publications on cheating and plagiarism increased (80%) in the post-COVID period compared to the pre-COVID period (20%). This could be due to various factors, such as changes in educational settings, increased reliance on online learning, or other pandemic-related challenges.

In terms of methodological point of view, a variety of research approaches (Figure 4) were used by earlier scholars to study academic integrity violations. According to the findings, 49% of the studies were based on qualitative research methods, while 36% of studies used quantitative research methods. Furthermore, mixed research approaches were used in 16% of the investigations. Figure 5 displays the methods mostly utilized to obtain research data: Casy study (4%). Survey (67%), Interview (2%), Mixed Literature and Interview (7%), and Mixed Literature and Survey (20%).

Figure 4. Frequency of publication research methods.

Figure 5. Data collection techniques (n=45).

According to the study, researchers have previously investigated a variety of topics to identify the root causes of academic integrity violations. To pinpoint the cause of this problem, they conducted tests on students, teachers, and staff (see Figure 6). The majority of research is centered around students (78%), indicating a significant emphasis on understanding their experiences, motivations, and methods related to cheating and plagiarism. Teachers and staff collectively constitute a small percentage (2%) of the respondents. This suggests that, compared to students, there may be less emphasis on exploring the perspectives of educators and administrative staff in cheating and plagiarism research. The category of both teachers and students (13%) reflects an interest in investigating the relationships and interactions between these two groups. This may involve studying how educators perceive and address cheating among their students. The subset of teachers-only (7%) respondents indicate a targeted focus on understanding the role of educators in the context of cheating and plagiarism, potentially exploring their awareness, preventive measures, and reactions.

Figure 6. Frequency of publication each year focusing respondents (n=45).

Trends in authorship analysis

The analysis focused on authorship patterns that represent breaches of academic integrity in higher education research. The authors read and evaluated the articles. As shown in Table 1, analysis showed that 7% of the database's articles were produced by female scholars, whereas 51% of the articles were published by males. 42% of the papers featured both male and female scholars. Additionally, the study revealed that 29% of the publications had a single author and 71% of the papers had two or more authors.

The distribution of articles by selected journals

Between 2018 and 2022, a sizable number of research papers were published in high-impact journals (see Figure 7). The researcher had expressed great interest in publishing articles on cheating and plagiarism.

Figure 7. The distribution of articles by selected journals (n=45).

Analysis of citation impact of the selected papers

The citation count exhibits some fluctuation from 2018 and 2022, suggesting that interest or effect levels were not constant over this time. Nonetheless, in comparison to the years that surround them, 2018, 2019, and 2021 stand out with comparatively larger citation counts. Perhaps throughout these years, there has been a rise in interest in the work or its increasing significance in the area (See Figure 8).

Figure 8. Year-wise number of citations (n=45).

The highest citation count was observed in 2018, suggesting a peak in the impact or interest in research during that year. There was a substantial drop in citations in 2019 followed by a gradual increase in 2020, and a subsequent slight decrease in 2021 and 2022. The fluctuating pattern in citation counts across the years could be influenced by various factors, including the novelty and significance of the research, changes in the academic landscape, or the emergence of competing works.

Publication of papers selected papers across countries

A map was produced to determine the source of publications in every nation, and it was categorized by the specific location of data collection. The map shows 45 papers were selected which originated from 28 different countries. More publications were from such as Turkey (n=3), USA (n=2), Indonesia (n=2) Canada (n=2), China (n=2), Saudi Arabia (n=2), South Africa (n=2). Other publications (n =30) were distributed across 21 countries i.e., “Kosovo, New Zealand, Australia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Romania, United Kingdom, Norway, Rwanda, and Switzerland, United Arab Emirates” with one paper for each country (See Figure 9).

Figure 9. Frequency of publication according to the countries (n=45).

From the available statistics, it is clear that a varied range of nations appear to be represented, with each producing a distinct quantity of articles related to academic integrity violations. These review articles may certainly contribute to reaching an actionable solution for achieving this research objective.

What are the top prevalent types of plagiarism and cheating in HEIs?

In higher education institutions, academic dishonesty has grown in importance recently, especially when it comes to cheating and plagiarism. Research has indicated a rise in the frequency of cheating and plagiarism, particularly since the use of electronic assessments. This unethical behavior erodes the principles of academic honesty and jeopardizes the integrity of the educational system. The review of 45 articles following cheating and plagiarism forms in HEIs is tabulated in Table 2.

What factors contribute to the prevalence of academic cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions?

In higher education institutions, cheating and plagiarism have become prevalent issues. It's concerning because these immoral actions compromise the integrity of education and diminish the hard work of sincere learners. Academic cheating and plagiarism are common in higher education institutions for several reasons. Table 3 summarizes the key factors contributing to cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions.

What strategies have been employed to mitigate academic cheating and plagiarism in higher educational institutions?

Reducing the prevalence of cheating and plagiarism in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) involves implementing a combination of preventive measures, educational initiatives, and disciplinary actions. Here are some common strategies that have been employe. The article review concerning plagiarism and cheating in HEIs also indicated the way they can be mitigated (see Table 4).

5. Discussion

This systematic literature review was conducted to provide an overview and insight into the research literature on cheating and plagiarism in HEIs to improve the quality of education and help students to develop ethical and moral skills. In this study a total of 45 papers (see Extended data file 3) were analyzed to answer the set of objectives and proposed research questions. The result indicates that from 2021 onwards, there was a significant wave of publications of papers about cheating and plagiarism.

The results of the literature review suggest that students have often broken the rules and regulations of the institutions they are enrolled in. Some students make it a habit to engage in dishonest behaviors like cheating and plagiarism (Amzalag et al., 2021). Besides, cheating and plagiarism, students are also involved in other forms of academic dishonesty such as contract cheating (Ali & Alhassan, 2021), collusion (Chen, 2022), falsification (Mâță et al., 2020), fabrication (Khan, 2022), fraud, corruption, and unjustified absences. These are the top prevalent types of academic integrity violations in HEIs. Therefore, it has become challenging for higher educational institutions to maintain academic integrity and ensure quality education for all students.

There is a high contextual basis for the causes behind cheating and plagiarism and this differs, from one individual to another and from one nation to the next. Based on the study, there are several contributors to students' infractions of academic honesty and integrity and this includes peer pressure, internet availability, societal norms, and individual mindset (Abbasi et al., 2021). These factors are categorized as individual factors, institutional factors, social, cultural, and technological factors which are summarized in the following paragraphs.

Individual factors: individual factors may contribute to the student’s choice to breach academic honesty. It is related to students' motivation. About this, motivation is an English word that stems from the word, “moveo”, which means to arouse, urge someone to act, or annoy. In other words, the system can sometimes initiate, stimulate, and maintain a particular behavior among individuals (Landa-Blanco et al., 2020; Usher, 2018). Motivation is a tool that can urge someone to act in a certain way and academic motivation is thus the root behind the behaviors relating to the performance and function of academic behavior (Kuhlmann et al., 2023) like the low level of students’ efforts, management of workload among students, their selected activities and their persistence in their academic development.

A range of studies have explored the relationship between student motivation and academic dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism. According to Landa-Blanco et al. (2020), academic dishonesty is negatively associated with intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, and positively linked with motivation and extrinsic goal orientation. There is a significant connection between academic dishonesty and both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Abbasi et al., 2021) further delved into the role of personality traits in academic dishonesty, finding that impulsivity and fight-flight-freeze behaviors were positively associated with engagement in dishonest academic behaviors. These studies collectively suggest that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, as well as certain personality traits, play a role in influencing cheating and plagiarism.

Institutional factors: This category of factors covers undermining practices to the academic integrity in the classroom, namely external assistance, collaboration, plagiarizing, and technology used for cheating. The environment in the classroom and the atmosphere within it reflects the students’ personalities and through the usage of academic materials, such an environment becomes a specific setting for learning advancement and promotion of creativity (Thomas, 2020). Studies show that a positive classroom atmosphere supports the learning outcomes of the students in light of their success and content level (Chang et al., 2018). Various physical environments, contexts, and cultures within which students learn are referred to as the academic environment (and such a learning environment, directly impacts the drive of the students to study.

Social factors: A range of social factors have been identified as significant contributors to academic integrity violations such as competition, social rejection, and societal pressure while (Șercan & Voicu, 2022) highlighted the influence of performance goals and social norms. These studies collectively underscore the complex interplay of social influences on academic integrity, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and support mechanisms. Moreover, cultural differences were also found to play a role, wit Roe (2022) and Nabee et al. (2020) both identifying the influence of perceived peer dishonesty and the acceptability of cheating, as well as the impact of cultural and psychological variables such as distress, perfectionism, and self-control. These findings underscore the complex interplay of social and individual factors in shaping academic dishonesty.

Cultural factors: The origin of cultural factors is the home, and the main source is parental pressure. Generally, parents pressure their children towards academic excellence notwithstanding the latter’s abilities and capabilities. Hence, students may turn to academic integrity breaches to satisfy their parents (Won & Lee, 2023). Studies showed that some students feel that obtaining high academic standards is a must to meet their parents’ expectations (Farahat, 2022). Added to this, parents force their children to obtain high marks despite their actual ability to do so and as such, parental expectations could make students compromise their academic integrity. A related study by Rozar et al. (2020) revealed that plagiarizing attempts among students usually occur when faced with tough tasks when obtaining a good score would call for extra effort and time, and when there is pressure from family. Their belief in the impossibility of obtaining good scores in limited time drives students to engage in cheating after which this becomes a part of their culture. Bretag & Mahmud (2014). found that institutionalizing a culture in the academic policy and practice context can promote academic integrity among students. In other words, understanding the way academic culture influences the inclination of students to breach academic integrity is the key.

Technological Factors: Technology advancements have been dynamic over time and technology use among students has unfortunately taken a turn for the worst when it comes to cheating and stealing other’s work. In other words, ICTs have made it possible for students to plagiarize and cheat in HEIs easily. These infractions may also be brought on by improper and illegal ICT usage. It is thus important for students to understand and respect the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property by adhering to the copyright and fair use, citing resources, obtaining or providing permission for use, steering clear of plagiarism, and understanding and using creative commons (Coldwell-Neilson, 2020). Morrison (2018), stated that the California Model School Library Standards indicate the need for students to respect intellectual property its fair use, and public performance rights when it comes to media downloading and duplication.

Cheating and plagiarism through the misuse of technology can be further divided into three subsections such as the availability of computer and& AI tools, limitations of existing tools in detecting cheating and plagiarism, internet and Internet and web-based unauthorized collaboration.

Availability of computer and& AI tools: Computer and artificial intelligence tools have been shown to have a double-edged effect on higher education institutions. Recent research conducted by Hasanein & Sobaih (2023) has highlighted that students frequently misuse these tools, particularly ChatGPT, within the realm of higher education. Consequently, there has been a notable increase in instances of AI-driven cheating, plagiarism, contract cheating, and various forms of academic dishonesty, including falsification, collusion, and unauthorized collaboration. These challenges present significant obstacles to maintaining academic integrity (Wang & Cornely, 2023).

Limitations of existing tools in detecting cheating and plagiarism: The study conducted by Do Ba et al. (2017) reported that higher education institutions are applying software and technological tools, like Turnitin, to assess the similarity index of students’ written assignments/reports. However, the study conducted by Lines (2016) highlighted that these tools are often incapable of detecting assignments and reports written by ghostwriters. Therefore, the students who engage in committing cheating and plagiarism often go undetected because of the limitations of the existing tools for detecting such behavior.

Internet and web-based unauthorized collaboration: The study conducted by Wang & Cornely (2023) reported that students frequently engage in unauthorized Internet and web-based collaboration while completing their reports, theses, and assignments. In this connection, Tabsh et al. (2019) emphasized that this type of unauthorized collaboration encourages cheating and plagiarism and diminishes the overall learning outcomes in higher education. Moreover, the unapproved and dishonest behaviors exhibited by students have raised concerns about data security and privacy. Therefore, it is necessary for higher education institutions to promptly take action to reduce these unethical student behaviors.

Cheating and plagiarism are a recurrent issue in higher education institutions. The reasons for cheating and plagiarism vary from person to person. A study by Singh et al. (2016) revealed a prevalent occurrence of cheating among undergraduates. Approximately 39% of participants admitted to cheating on tests, and a majority of 62% admitted to cheating on written assignments. Among graduate students, 17% admitted to cheating on tests, while 40% admitted to cheating on written assignments. Furthermore, according to Curtis et al. (2022), the percentage of Australian students who buy assignments from ghostwriting services is estimated to be 7.9%, which is considerably higher than previous self-reported numbers.

Previous research conducted by Cuadrado et al. (2019) has shown that these acts not only hinder students’ learning outcomes but also damage the reputation of educational institutions. Moreover, students’ cheating and plagiarism incidents undermine the institutional code of ethics and jeopardize the sustainability of ethical values and principles within these institutions.

The causes of cheating and plagiarism can vary from person to person. According to Sozon et al. (2024), individual causes include laziness, lack of motivation for learning, and insufficient time to study. In terms of institutional factors, Solmon (2018) revealed that a poor academic integrity policy, ineffective implementation of an honor code, and a lack of technological tools for detecting cheating and plagiarism contribute to the issue. Tanveer et al. (2012). Additionally, Sozon et al. (2024) highlighted those social factors, such as peer influences, pressure to achieve higher grades, intense competition, cultural norms, and the perceived acceptance of cheating, also play significant roles in shaping student behavior.

Higher education institutions are required to take preventive measures to stop cheating and plagiarism as they hurt institutions' reputations, undermine the institutional code of ethics, and sideline the sustainability of the ethics and morality of higher education institutions. There is no one-stop solution for reducing the reasons for cheating and plagiarism in higher education institutions. Therefore, higher education institutions need to adopt a comprehensive strategy to safeguard against student cheating and plagiarism behavior.

The initial step is to reform and reinforce academic honor code and ethical guidelines which every student must follow. Students need to be informed and aware of the appropriate and inappropriate conduct in the classroom and based on past studies, the majority of the learning institutions do not stress the importance of academic integrity, which provides the impression that it is not a crucial issue. Through academic policies, the academic integrity level of HEI students may be enhanced. Moreover, this honor code needs to be regularly reviewed and updated to adapt to the evolving landscape of academic dishonesty. At the same time, higher education institutions must promote a culture of ethical behavior and educate both students and faculty on the importance of maintaining integrity by implementing academic integrity awareness programs. In this connection, Parnther (2022) recommends increasing student engagement, providing more opportunities for part-time faculty to share and disseminate ideas, demonstrating student learning, and establishing a clear policy and shared mission to address the issue of academic misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism, in higher education institutions.

New students can be the recipients of customized course to inculcate within them the basics when it comes to academic dishonesty and its consequences. Cooperation between teachers, writing center directors, library directors, and academic specialists to develop such a course for students could be the key (Darmansyah & Darman, 2022). New incoming students would be required to take the course to enhance their academic integrity in what could be a first-year requirement (Stephens et al., 2021). HEIs need to play a key role in inculcating the habit of honesty, fair dealing, and integrity into students considering one of their major aims is to generate highly qualified graduates who can uphold the highest standards of integrity and professional ethics to contribute to society. Besides, higher education institutions must strengthen policy and invest resources to develop anti-plagiarism detection software using algorithms to scan and analyze submitted work, identify cases of plagiarism, and promote originality. Although the existing plagiarism prevention software (Turnitin, Authenticate, and Plagiarism Checker) has proven to be effective in the fight against academic cheating and plagiarism however this need to be modified further to detect AI generated contents. Furthermore, higher education institutions must introduce counselling and advisory services in shaping students' understanding of ethical boundaries. This counselling service will provide opportunities to understand the consequences of their actions for cheating and plagiarism. Fundamentally, the synergy of policy improvements, awareness initiatives, technical solutions and supportive advice will not only prevent cheating and plagiarism, but also improve academic integrity within higher education institutions (Farahat, 2022). This creates a comprehensive framework that fosters genuine engagement in higher education institutions.

6. Conclusions

Cheating and plagiarism are serious problems in higher education institutions around the world. This systematic literature review found that there are different forms of academic integrity violations in higher education institutions. Students cheating and plagiarism are the most common form of academic integrity violation.

Several factors contribute to this problem, including academic environment, cultural, social, and individual factors. The study also revealed that cheating and plagiarism are also caused by other variety of factors, including lack of student motivation to study, peer approval of cheating, laziness, strict submission deadline, course difficulty, lack of integrity awareness, and illegal use of cutting-edge technology, and increased pressure on students to improve their academic performance. The literature analysis also revealed that cheating and plagiarism increased further when higher education institutions moved to virtual assessments and evaluations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The introduction of electronic assessments has been found to increase the prevalence of cheating and plagiarism. Therefore, there is an urgent necessity to address this problem by designing effective policies and interventions.

Solving the issues related to cheating and plagiarism requires a comprehensive approach among faculty, administrators, and students is paramount. Moreover, universities need to create environments where students are motivated to learn and enhance ethical and moral values to become positive contributors to society. In such a learning environment, students are more likely to act and work with integrity and demonstrate the highest level of integrity. Besides, to improve students' academic integrity, educational institutions should invest in educational initiatives that promote ethical behavior, critical thinking, and the development of strong research and writing skills. Additionally, there is an urgent need to implement advanced plagiarism detection tools to make students understand their current level of skills and offer them a solution to develop skills and produce a revised version of the copy with an accepted version of plagiarism in academic writing. Overall, the results of this systematic literature review highlight the urgent need for higher education institutions to prioritize efforts to combat cheating and plagiarism and increase student knowledge and awareness about the consequences of cheating and plagiarism.