Mapping Academic Integrity Policies with Student Academic Performance in Public Universities in Uganda: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This scoping review explores how academic integrity policies affect student academic performance in Ugandan public universities, placing the Ugandan experience within a broader African and global context. A systematic search of Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and Google Scholar identified N=25 empirical and policy studies on academic integrity, governance, and student outcomes, which were screened and synthesised using predefined inclusion criteria. Empirical studies generally indicate that integrity-related dispositions and behaviours (honesty, fairness, trust, respect, responsibility) are positively linked to grade point averages, often indirectly through motivational and psychological resources, while the direct relationship with grades tends to be small to moderate and sometimes inconsistent. Simultaneously, weak or poorly enforced institutional and research integrity policies, high pressures related to assessment and publishing, and limited ethics training are consistently associated with cheating, plagiarism, and falsification, posing downstream risks to the validity of grades, learning outcomes, and institutional credibility. A continentwide analysis of 283 African universities reveals that only about one-fifth maintain publicly accessible research integrity policies, with considerable regional differences. Policy analyses from Africa and elsewhere show that existing academic integrity frameworks are often punitive, legally complex, difficult to access, and offer limited educational or inclusive support for students and staff. Complementary Ugandan and regional studies suggest that institutional management practices, disciplinary regimes, and quality assurance systems significantly influence student responsibility, discipline, and performance trajectories. Overall, the review advocates that Ugandan public universities should move beyond narrow, punitive approaches towards inclusive, educational, transparent, and well-enforced integrity frameworks embedded within broader governance, assessment, and student support systems, in order to uphold both academic standards and the integrity of performance indicators.