Some Survey-Based Research

The Center for Academic IntegrityDon McCabe, founder of the Center for Academic Integrity, has conducted extensive survey-based research, which included almost 50,000 undergraduates on more than 60 campuses. Summarized below are the most recent results, released in 2005:  

  • On most campuses, 70% of students admit to some cheating. Close to one-quarter of the participating students admitted to serious test cheating in the past year.


  • Internet plagiarism is growing as most students have concluded that 'cut & paste' plagiarism (without appropriate citation) is not a serious issue. While 10% of students admitted to engaging in such behavior in 1999, almost 40% admitted to doing so in the Assessment Project surveys. A majority of students (77%) believe such cheating is not a very serious issue.


  • Many faculty are reluctant to take action against suspected cheaters. In Assessment Project surveys involving almost 10,000 faculty, 44% of those who were aware of student cheating in their courses in the last three years have never reported a student for cheating to the appropriate campus authorities.


  • Longitudinal comparisons show significant increases in serious test/examination cheating and unapproved student collaboration. For example, the number of students self-reporting instances of unapproved collaboration at nine medium-to- large state universities increased from 11% in a 1963 survey to 49% in 1993.