Academic integrity in nursing education: Policy review.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Integrity

Background:

• Academic integrity is a significant concern within nursing education.
• While specific academic dishonesty cases are not public, nursing programs widely share policies designed to uphold integrity.
• A review of these policies aims to identify common practices for promoting integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and identify common approaches in academic integrity policies across leading United States nursing programs.
• To understand the range of practices employed by nursing programs to foster academic honesty.

Main Methods:

• Policies were gathered from prominent nursing programs in the United States.
• Internet searches were used to locate publicly available academic integrity statements.
• A review of these statements identified common strategies for promoting integrity.

Main Results:

• Nursing programs exhibit varied strategies for academic integrity, with most employing honor codes.
• Requirements for student affirmation of honor codes differ significantly among institutions.
• Formal hearings for academic dishonesty accusations are mandated in a small number of programs.
• A majority of policies explicitly reference nursing values and integrity standards.

Conclusions:

• The academic integrity policies in nursing programs are influenced by the broader institutional contexts.
• Analyzing the diversity of approaches offers valuable insights for faculty and administrators involved in policy development.
• This exploration encourages critical questions for enhancing and preserving integrity among nursing students and future professionals.