Academic Integrity Glossary: A–Z of Key Terms
An A–Z reference glossary of academic integrity terms. Definitions follow ICAI conventions where applicable, with cross-references to detailed AMI guides for the major categories.
TL;DR
A–Z glossary covering academic integrity terminology — from AI-generated submission through viva. Definitions follow ICAI conventions where applicable. Cross-references to detailed AMI guides.
A
Academic integrity — the commitment to ethical conduct in academic work, anchored on the six ICAI fundamental values (honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, courage).
Academic misconduct — behaviour that violates academic integrity standards. Includes plagiarism, contract cheating, data fabrication, collusion, and exam impersonation. Sometimes called "academic dishonesty" in informal contexts.
AI detection — automated tools that attempt to identify AI-generated text. Currently limited reliability (Scarfe et al. 2024: 94% AI miss rate at University of Reading).
AI-generated submission — student work produced by AI systems and submitted as the student's own. The AMI's D2 dimension. See the full guide.
AMI — Academic Misconduct Index. Country-level index measuring academic cheating across 39 countries. See the complete guide.
Antiplagiat — Russian-language plagiarism detection system, widely deployed at Russian universities.
Attribution — crediting sources used in academic work. Failure to attribute is the basis of plagiarism.
C
Cheating — broad informal term covering most forms of academic misconduct.
Collusion — unauthorised collaboration on individual assessments. The AMI's D5 dimension. See the full guide.
Contract cheating — paying someone to complete academic work. The AMI's D1 dimension. See the full guide.
Copyleaks — AI and plagiarism detection software, used as a Turnitin alternative.
CopyKiller — Korean plagiarism detection system, mandatory for thesis checking at many Korean universities.
CPI — Corruption Perceptions Index. Transparency International's annual integrity index. See the AMI comparison.
D
Data fabrication — making up research data that was not collected. The AMI's D6 dimension. See the full guide.
Data falsification — altering or selectively reporting real data. Distinct from fabrication; both are research misconduct.
Disclosure — institutional or governmental reporting of misconduct statistics. The AMI's R-Score Disclosure sub-component.
Dissernet — Russian volunteer organisation that has identified 10,000+ plagiarised dissertations using automated comparison.
Doctoral plagiarism — plagiarism in PhD dissertations. Documented in multiple high-profile cases (zu Guttenberg in Germany, multiple cabinet ministers globally).
E
Essay mill — company providing essays and other academic work for payment. See the full guide.
Exam impersonation — having someone else sit an examination. The AMI's D3 dimension. See the full guide.
F
Fabrication — see Data fabrication.
Falsification — see Data falsification.
FFP — Fabrication, Falsification, Plagiarism. US Office of Research Integrity (ORI) framework for research misconduct.
FOI — Freedom of Information. UK FOI investigations have produced significant data on AI misconduct rates at UK universities.
G
Ghostwriting — having someone else write your work, then submitting as your own. Overlap with contract cheating.
Google Trends — Google's public search-volume data service. The AMI uses it for D1 and D2 dimensions.
GPTZero — AI detection tool used to identify AI-generated text.
H
HEC — Higher Education Commission, Pakistan. Regulates Pakistani universities and operates the country's plagiarism detection requirements.
I
ICAI — International Center for Academic Integrity. Principal global academic integrity association. See the full guide.
iThenticate — Turnitin product, used primarily for research publications rather than student work.
J
JAMB — Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Nigeria. Operates Nigerian university entrance examinations; has dealt with documented impersonation networks.
JSA — Jednolity System Antyplagiatowy, Poland's uniform anti-plagiarism system. Mandatory for theses across Polish universities.
L
Legislation — statutory frameworks targeting academic misconduct. The AMI's R-Score Legislation sub-component. See the legislation guide.
LOWI — Landelijk Orgaan Wetenschappelijke Integriteit, the Netherlands national research integrity board.
M
McCabe survey — long-running self-report academic misconduct survey conducted by Donald McCabe and colleagues 2002–2015. 70,000+ students surveyed. Hosted by ICAI.
Mosaic plagiarism — combining phrases from multiple sources without attribution. Also called "patchwriting."
N
NESH — National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and Humanities, Norway. Anchors the strong Norwegian research integrity framework.
NPOF — Nämnden för Prövning av Oredlighet i Forskning, the Swedish national board for assessment of research misconduct. Statutory body established 2019.
O
ORI — Office of Research Integrity, US. Federal oversight body for research misconduct in federally-funded US research.
Originality.ai — AI detection tool used as a Turnitin alternative.
P
Paraphrasing plagiarism — restating someone else's ideas without citing the source.
Patchwriting — see Mosaic plagiarism.
Penalty — formal sanction for academic misconduct. The AMI's R-Score Penalties sub-component.
Plagiarism — using someone else's words or ideas without attribution. The AMI's D4 dimension. See the full guide.
Prevalence Score (P) — the AMI's horizontal axis, estimating the rate of academic misconduct. See how it is calculated.
PubPeer — post-publication peer review platform where suspected misconduct can be discussed publicly.
Q
QQI — Quality and Qualifications Ireland. Statutory regulator with enforcement powers under the 2019 essay mill ban.
Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 — the AMI's four quadrants. See the full guide.
R
Response Quality Score (R) — the AMI's vertical axis, measuring institutional response strength. See how it is calculated.
Retraction Watch — database of retracted scientific publications. 69,911 records as of April 2026. See the full guide.
S
Self-plagiarism — reusing your own previously submitted work without disclosure.
Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 — UK legislation banning essay mill services.
T
TEQSA — Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, Australia. Statutory regulator; maintains the public list of 2,300+ known contract cheating providers.
Translation plagiarism — copying from a foreign-language source and presenting the translation as original work.
Turnitin — most widely deployed plagiarism detection system globally. See how it works.
U
UGC — University Grants Commission, India. Published 2018 Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism regulations.
V
Viva (viva voce) — oral examination. Used to defend theses or as integrity check.
VroniPlag — German volunteer plagiarism detection initiative that has identified plagiarism in dissertations by senior politicians and academics.
VSNU code — Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Binding code adopted by all Dutch universities.
Y
YÖK — Yükseköğretim Kurulu, Council of Higher Education, Turkey. Regulates Turkish universities.
Sources
- ICAI Fundamental Values framework
- AMI v1.5 methodology document
- US ORI definitions
- Country-specific regulator documentation
Full methodology | Download dataset
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between plagiarism and contract cheating?
Plagiarism is using someone else's work without attribution — typically copying from existing sources. Contract cheating is paying someone to produce original work for you, then submitting it as your own. Both are academic misconduct, but contract cheating involves a transaction and produces text that doesn't exist elsewhere (making it Turnitin-invisible).
What is academic misconduct vs academic dishonesty?
The terms are often used interchangeably. 'Academic misconduct' is more common in institutional policy and legal contexts; 'academic dishonesty' is more common in informal and educator contexts. Both cover the same scope: behaviours that violate academic integrity standards including plagiarism, contract cheating, fabrication, collusion, and exam impersonation.
What is a viva?
A viva (short for viva voce, 'live voice') is an oral examination, typically used to defend a thesis or dissertation. The candidate answers questions from examiners about their work. Vivas can also be used as an integrity check — if there are concerns a student did not write their own work, a viva can test whether they understand the content.
How to cite this article
APA: Booth, F. (2026). Academic Integrity Glossary: A–Z of Key Terms. Academic Misconduct Index. https://academicmisconductindex.com/blog/academic-integrity-glossary
BibTeX: @misc{booth2026academic, author={Booth, Francisco}, title={Academic Integrity Glossary: A–Z of Key Terms}, year={2026}, url={https://academicmisconductindex.com/blog/academic-integrity-glossary}}
Francisco Booth
Independent researcher, founder of the Academic Misconduct Index
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