ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AS THE BASIS OF HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY

Abstract

The article comprehensively examines academic integrity as a fundamental factor in ensuring the quality of higher education in Ukraine. The study analyses the regulatory framework governing academic integrity, tracing its evolution from the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education» (2014) and the Law of Ukraine «On Education» (2017) to the landmark Law of Ukraine «On Academic Integrity» (2025, No. 4742-IX) — the first dedicated legislation of this kind in the European educational space. The principal types of violations are identified and characterised, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication and falsification, cheating, and contract cheating, with an examination of their individual and systemic causes. Drawing on OECD reports, NAQA data, and domestic empirical studies, the article assesses the current state of academic integrity compliance across Ukrainian higher education institutions, revealing significant disparities between formal policy adoption and actual practice. Practical mechanisms for preventing violations are reviewed and evaluated: anti-plagiarism detection systems, institutional codes of academic integrity, academic ethics committees, academic writing instruction, and the redesign of assessment approaches towards individual tasks, oral defences, and portfolio-based evaluation. Special attention is devoted to the challenges posed by digitalisation and artificial intelligence, including the widespread use of generative AI tools by students — as evidenced by a 2024 study at Bogomolets National Medical University, where 84% of respondents reported using AI for academic purposes. The article substantiates the necessity of cultivating an internal culture of academic integrity, rather than relying solely on punitive mechanisms, as a precondition for the sustainable development of higher education in Ukraine and its integration into the European academic community.