What is academic integrity and why is it important?

Generally speaking, a person of integrity is someone who is honest and trustworthy. In other words, personal morals and values represented in the image of character traits and credibility. Students who have strong integrity will work hard and strive to earn their diplomas in a fair way through hours and hours of hard study and practice. If a student intentionally, or willingly, behaves contrary to the rules and principles of academic behavior at the University, then it can be said that the academic integrity and ethical values are being threatened. The diploma thus obtained will not be genuine or high quality. Later, such a student with a lack of credibility can turn into a low-quality workforce that also will not possess the appropriate integrity or moral standards, which further has a negative impact on individual professional goals and further development. Simply put, no one wants an economist who fraudulently obtained his degree, or company manager or a ship captain who has to manage a multi-million ship or cargo.

Academic integrity represents the core of every true student or professor at the University. It is a means by which true ethical values are developed both in academic and everyday life activities. It is of crucial importance that students understand the essential difference between good and bad, or right and wrong behavior. In the academic community, students and academic staff are expected to behave correctly, i.e. in accordance with all rules, regulations, as well as ethical, moral and other norms. Simply put, academic integrity is a responsible, honest and fair way of behaving towards all obligations, tasks during studies and academic work. This means that basic moral and ethical values are applied. It is the basic principle in modern higher education, by means of which it is possible to manifest equality, fairness and trust during the academic scientific-teaching process by both, students and professors.

Academic integrity shall fundamentally help students to learn the importance of a critical view, through the scientific - research work methodology, which means, mastering the basic methods and techniques of producing scientific papers. It represents the basis of learning, teaching and scientific - research activities at the University because it implies the continuous review and improvement of a complex system of various strategies, action plans, guidelines, rules, and regulations needed to create a safe academic environment in which students would be able to develop and show academic knowledge, skills and competencies. With the help of academic integrity, students and professors of the University are able to develop new ideas, approaches and express creativity and originality while respecting and recognizing the work of their colleagues. In addition, it enables the development of awareness that there is a response to behavior that is in conflict with academics, meaning that there are certain measures that are fair, consistent, transparent and timely.

Ethical behavior as an essential part of academic integrity is found in the foundations of higher education as a fundamental that helps during the recognition and assessment of the work of all academic community participants, who fights against all forms of fraudulent behavior based on various forms of knowledge testing.

This platform represents an original attempt to prevent various forms of fraudulent behavior in higher education, i.e. violations of academic integrity. Its main goal is to acquaint the students and academic staff of the University with the basic methodological rules for the preparation of professional and scientific papers, respecting different methods of scientific research. Its basic idea when it comes to academic integrity is prevention not remedial.

Along with applying various multimedia content, we specifically tried to help all students and academic staff of the University to master the basic methodological rules and principles that will help them in their further academic work in the best and fastest way possible. In this way, the emergence of certain forms of fraudulent behavior would basically be prevented, which would result in the strengthening of the overall academic integrity at the University. In higher education, it is extremely important that academic integrity is affirmed and promoted through various national and international initiatives such as this one, but also through strong institutional policies and everyday academic practice.