PROPAGATING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS THROUGH LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES

Abstract

The study investigated academic integrity in tertiary institutions and the role of libraries.Libraries acquire,organize and grant access to library patrons in the use of information resources.However,technological advancement and the open access advocacy, which has made the plethora of information resources available and accessible to all, seem to have influenced the integrity of academic researches and publications output. Academic integrity is the commitment to, and demonstration of honest and moral behavior in an academic setting. However, academic success among studentsor promotion among academic staff have been bedeviled by lack of integrity and flawed by dishonesty. The paper posits that librarians through library services would promote academic integrity with a robust information literacy programme and by enforcing copyright laws and technology usage in institutional libraries to curtail academic dishonesty. It is recommended that institutions should put academic integrity policy in place with librarians as part of the operators.