An Empirical Assessment of Academic Dishonesty Codes
David McClough, Jeffery Heinfeldt

Abstract
Honor codes and modified honor codes can be effective at reducing academic dishonesty in institutions of higher learning. In the absence of an honor code, students may be subject to a code of academic conduct. This study compares self-reporting of academic dishonesty by undergraduate students subject to separate codes of academic conduct at one institution. Survey results and empirical findings reveal that students subject to a more rigorous academic code of conduct expanded to include a professional code of conduct report cheating more overall, however, the analysis reveals a distinction between cheating in-class and out-of-class. Open-ended responses suggest that academic dishonesty outside the classroom is motivated by helping others and learning, two objectives elsewhere typically regarded positively.

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