Removing the ‘opportunity’ for academic misconduct: A criminology-based framework for preventing academic integrity problems

This chapter will explore the relevance of adopting a problem-oriented approach to reducing the opportunity for academic integrity problems. The most effective, sustainable crime prevention strategies have several things in common. They are typically problem-specific, focus on the immediate ‘opportunity’ (environment) within which crime problems have happened in the past, and involve manipulating the existing opportunity structure to make it less suitable for offending. All of this can be done without apprehending offenders, and instead can focus on highly victimised targets and frequently visited crime places. Crime does not displace and there can often be broader prevention-focused benefits than were anticipated through the scope of the targeted intervention. Problem-oriented policing is the name for a theory-based criminological framework intended to develop, implement, and evaluate novel, prevention-focused strategies to address crime problems. The intent of this chapter is to introduce academics to a framework they can use to minimise integrity risks associated with the specific assessment opportunities they are creating. This framework is theory-based, focused on prevention, and does not depend on detection and apprehension.