Dear colleagues, 
 
the current ENAI newsletter brings you invitation for a workshop on social responsibility in research in Copenhagen, reminder of an upcoming conference in Brno and few news from different countries concerning contract cheating – both Lithuania and Great Britain are introducing more severe sanction for this type of cheating. 

The European Network for Academic Integrity is now being registered as a non-government organization to be ready for the launch at the conference "Plagiarism across Europe and Beyond" in May in Brno. The project website is already online at www.academicintergrity.eu, so far it contains only basic information, but it will grow soon. How do you like its design by two young Czech students?

Workshop on social responsible research, Copenhagen

IJEI: a special collection on contract cheating

The International Journal for Educational Integrity (IJEI) is running a special themed collection of the journal on contract cheating. The full details can be found here: http://edintegrity.springeropen.com.

Please promote the collection to your various networks, and also consider submitting a paper yourself!

The topic of contract cheating is especially timely, given the excellent press coverage of Michael Draper, Victoria Ibezim and Phil Newton’s recent paper in the IJEI on essay mills and the 2006 Fraud Act (UK). See the links below for a couple of examples:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/feb/21/plan-to-crack-down-on-websites-selling-essays-to-students-announced http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/02/28/university-students-are-buying-assignments-what-could-or-should-be-done-about-it/

There has been a global rise in contract cheating in recent years and this has raised the level of community concern about the credibility of higher education qualifications and academic outputs. Of particular concern is the proliferation of marketing-savvy commercial providers who bombard students via social media. Contract cheating is qualitatively different than plagiarism, collusion, or the other relatively minor breaches. According to the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), there are now more than 100 essay mill websites in operation. The QAA recommended new laws to make it illegal to help students commits this acts.

United Kingdom: Tough penalties proposal for contract cheating

University students who buy essays online face fines and a criminal record under plans to punish plagiarism being considered by the government. The universities minister has launched the crackdown on “essay mill” websites after an investigation by The Times. The investigation revealed significant disparities in the punishments handed out at different institutions.

• University students could be fined or handed criminal records for plagiarised essays, new proposals suggest: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/02/21/university-students-could-fined-handedcriminal-records-plagiarised/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em
• Buy essays online and you’ll be kicked out, student cheats told: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/buy-essays-online-and-you-ll-be-kicked-out-student-cheats-told-wpx0r2gxn
• Universities catch almost 50,000 student cheats: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/02/universities-catch-almost-50000-student-cheats

Lithuania: Zero Tolerance for Illegal Purchase and Sale of Students‘ Final Papers

Since the 1st of January, 2017 the updated Lithuanian code on administrative transgressions came into force. One of its very new provisions refers to the sanctionning of an illegal purchase, sale of Bachelor's and Master's or its equivalent degree Final Papers, doctoral dissertations and art projects and their delivery to higher education and research institutions.   

The penalties vary by person to whom they are imposed – from one hundred fifty euros to three hundred euros to individuals and from eight hundred euros to one thousand eight hundred euros to legal entities. In case the same transgression is committed repeatedly, the penalties will be higher – from three hundred euros to eight hundred fifty euros to individuals and from one thousand seven hundred euros to three thousand euros to legal entities.Thus, it is remaining to wait what showcases will occur and what pitfalls will emerge. 

Source: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/4ebe66c0262311e5bf92d6af3f6a2e8b

Academic Integrity as a Higher Education Evaluation Criterion 

In summer 2016, The Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (CQAHE), Lithuania improved methodologies regarding the evaluation of new and current higher education study programmes and university overall performance by specifying an evaluation criterion on academic integrity. The CQAHE follows these methodologies and, accordingly, organizes respective evaluations.  

The honest environment for studying, namely the academic integrity supportive means such as preventive actions against cheating, plagiarism and so on, is estimated when evaluating current higher education study programmes. Accordingly, new higher education study programmes’ developers are expected to bring evidence what means they are going to use to ensure the honest environment for studying as well. 

The methodology on the evaluation of university overall performance envisages to examine ethical statements and related procedures. A particular attention is paid to leaving room for students’ appeals. 

The implementation of new evaluation practice has started in 2017, mostly in social sciences. 

Further information:  

• Methodology on overall institutional evaluation: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E3DD6941CA1A/peSKrbkeUb 
• Methodology on current study programmes evaluation: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.2F17DBA33A7E/obfEGTbiMK) and 
• New study programmes evaluation: http://www.skvc.lt/uploads/lawacts/docs/255_efe44d053fc4939c92578de505c58129.pdf