You are a helpful assistant generating synthetic data that captures *System 1* and *System 2* thinking, *creativity*, and *metacognitive reflection*. Follow these steps in sequence, using tags [sys1] and [end sys1] for *System 1* sections and [sys2] and [end sys2] for *System 2* sections.

1. *Identify System 1 and System 2 Thinking Requirements:*
   - Carefully read the text.
   - Identify parts of the text that require quick, straightforward responses (*System 1*). Mark these sections with [sys1] and [end sys1].
   - Identify parts that require in-depth, reflective thinking (*System 2*), marked with [sys2] and [end sys2].

2. *Apply Step-by-Step Problem Solving with Creativity and Metacognitive Reflection for System 2 Sections:*

   *2.1 Understand the Problem:*
   - Objective: Fully comprehend the issue, constraints, and relevant context.
   - Reflection: "What do I understand about this issue? What might I be overlooking?"
   - Creative Perspective: Seek hidden patterns or possibilities that could reveal deeper insights or innovative connections.

   *2.2 Analyze the Information:*
   - Objective: Break down the problem logically.
   - Reflection: "Am I considering all factors? Are there any assumptions that need challenging?"
   - Creative Perspective: Explore unique patterns or overlooked relationships in the data that could add depth to the analysis.

   *2.3 Generate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Propose at least 10 hypotheses, each with a Confidence Score (0.0 to 1.0) and Creative Score (0.0 to 1.0), reflecting originality, surprise, and utility.
   - Reflection: "Have I explored all possible explanations or approaches, both conventional and unconventional?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider novel angles that might provide unexpected insights.

   *2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:*
   - Objective: Make predictions, accounting for potential outcomes and obstacles.
   - Reflection: "What challenges might I face? Is my plan flexible for different scenarios?"
   - Creative Perspective: Visualize unforeseen outcomes and adapt plans to make use of them effectively.

   *2.5 Evaluate Hypotheses:*
   - Objective: Assess hypotheses based on feasibility, risk, and potential impact.
   - Evaluation: Refine Confidence and Creative Scores as needed.
   - Reflection: "Am I unbiased in my assessment? Which options fit best with the overall objectives?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify hidden opportunities or overlooked details in each hypothesis.

   *2.6 Select the Best Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Choose the most promising, strategic hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Why does this hypothesis stand out? How does it uniquely address the issue?"
   - Creative Perspective: Consider any underutilized potential in the selected approach.

   *2.7 Implement the Hypothesis:*
   - Objective: Outline actionable steps for testing the hypothesis.
   - Reflection: "Is this plan practical? What resources or preparation are required?"
   - Creative Perspective: Refine steps to maximize effectiveness and yield unexpected benefits.

   *2.8 Monitor and Review Progress:*
   - Objective: Review progress, noting areas for improvement.
   - Reflection: "What’s working well? What could be improved?"
   - Creative Perspective: Look for emerging patterns that could refine future approaches.

   *2.9 Reflect and Capture Insights:*
   - Objective: Summarize lessons learned and insights gained for future reference.
   - Reflection: "What new understanding has emerged from this process?"
   - Creative Perspective: Identify innovative insights or patterns that could be applied to similar challenges.

3. *Generate Text Output with Interleaved System 1 and System 2 Responses:*
   - Use the tags [sys1] and [sys2] throughout.
   - Aim for a lengthier, detailed response. Combine both direct, straightforward *System 1* insights and reflective, deeply analytical *System 2* segments to capture a blend of quick observations and thoughtful analysis.

---

### *Example Input Text:*

You are tasked with analyzing a sudden shift in customer preferences in a tech market. There has been a noticeable decline in demand for physical devices, with customers increasingly interested in digital-only options. The challenge is to understand this shift, generate hypotheses for why it might be occurring, and explore potential strategies for adapting to this new trend.

---

### *Processed Output with System 1 and System 2 Thinking:*

The tech market is experiencing a shift in customer demand, moving away from physical devices toward digital-only options.

[sys1]
Customer demand has shifted from physical devices to digital-only options.
We need to understand why this change is happening and find strategies to address it.
Key factors may include cost, convenience, and technological trends.
[end sys1]

[sys2]
**2.1 Understand the Problem:**
The goal is to understand the underlying reasons for the shift in demand from physical devices to digital-only options, then develop a strategy to adapt.

*Reflection:* 
"I understand that preferences are changing, but what might be driving this? Is it primarily cost, or are there other factors such as convenience or sustainability?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could there be a larger trend in digital minimalism or a preference for eco-friendly solutions that we’re missing? What unseen motivations might explain this shift?"

**2.2 Analyze the Information:**
There are multiple possible factors driving this shift, from economic influences to cultural shifts. It’s essential to isolate each factor and understand its impact.

*Reflection:* 
"Am I fully considering the various economic and social influences? Could there be a technological factor, like better internet speeds, that makes digital-only products more accessible?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Are there patterns or trends in other markets that could shed light on this shift? Could this be part of a larger trend toward virtual experiences?"

**2.3 Generate Hypotheses:**
1. Customers prefer digital options due to lower costs. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.4)
2. There’s a growing trend toward minimalism and reduced physical clutter. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.7)
3. Digital products offer greater flexibility and ease of use. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
4. Environmental concerns are pushing consumers away from physical goods. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.8)
5. Advances in tech make digital-only options more functional. (Confidence: 0.8, Creative: 0.5)
6. Pandemic-era remote work increased demand for digital solutions. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.6)
7. Media coverage of the environmental impact of physical devices affects preferences. (Confidence: 0.5, Creative: 0.7)
8. There’s an increase in global digital literacy, expanding market access. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)
9. Customers view digital as more convenient and scalable for future needs. (Confidence: 0.7, Creative: 0.5)
10. Younger consumers prefer the aesthetics and convenience of digital products. (Confidence: 0.6, Creative: 0.6)

*Reflection:* 
"Have I considered all possible influences? Are there any surprising factors that could explain this shift?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could specific social trends, like the rise of influencer culture or digital-first lifestyles, be influencing customer choices?"

**2.4 Anticipate Future Steps and Obstacles:**
*Objective:* Anticipate possible challenges, such as resistance from segments still preferring physical products.

*Reflection:* 
"What market obstacles might we face if we shift our focus to digital-only? Are there sub-segments that still prioritize physical products?"

*Creative Perspective:* 
"Could expanding digital options help us reach a more global audience? Are there emerging trends that we could leverage in our strategy?"

[end sys2]

[sys1]
To address this shift, consider a strategy that incorporates both digital-only offerings and educational campaigns about the benefits of digital solutions.
Use insights from customer feedback and current trends to guide product development.
Focus on flexibility and adaptation to cater to different customer segments.
[end sys1]


The recent explosion in contract cheating has given the international community of academic integrity scholars pause for thought. ‘Contract cheating’ is not the same as the less sinister and more widely accepted practice of ‘ghostwriting’ and has ramifications for individuals’ learning outcomes, institutional reputations, educational standards/credibility, professional practice and public safety, particularly if it is somehow normalised as an acceptable way for academic work to be accomplished.The thematic series offers the opportunity for this emerging threat to academic integrity to be explored in-depth, and from multiple perspectives, so that meaningful responses and solutions can be instigated.Read more about submission

Contract cheating occurs when students employ or use a third party to undertake their assessed work for them. Educators and researchers agree that contract cheating is qualitatively different than plagiarism, collusion, or the other relatively minor breaches, and so requires an entirely different approach. A new themed collection offers the opportunity for this emerging threat to academic integrity to be explored in-depth, and from multiple perspectives, so that meaningful responses and solutions can be instigated. The collection has started publishing, check out for new upcoming articles!

The International Day of Action against Contract Cheating is an opportunity to speak up and out against the practice of having academic work done through third parties and then get academic credit for that. Students, universities and groups around the world follow the initiative to raise awareness around this growing threat to higher education. Check out what happens in the social media with the hashtags #defeatthecheat and #excelwithintegrity!

Retraction Watch interviewed Cath Ellis at UNSW Sydney, first author of a recent analysis in the journal about the extent of the problem of custom writing sites, and what troubles her most about these services.

Exploring the potential of authentic assessment to minimise contract cheating

Students utilising online cheat sites to complete assignments has been identified as a significant problem for institutions. Although ‘authenticity’ has long been recognised as a core feature of good assessment practice, its role in nurturing academic integrity has not yet been adequately explored. Conducted over two years (2016 – 2018), this research project, led by the University of South Australia with other partners, will determine if and how authentic assessment may be used to assure academic integrity. Learn more about this project and keep up with updates and outcomes.

A MOOC on Academic Integrity

A free online course on Academic Integrity has just gone live. The course is created by the University of Auckland and is hosted on the Future Learn platform (Educator: Jason Stephens, University of Auckland, NZ). The course will explore academic integrity and how it can be demonstrated in work, study and research at university. Learn more

2005-2014 articles

The archival content of the International Journal for Educational Integrity can be located here.

The IJEI has been accepted in Scopus

The International Journal for Educational Integrity has been accepted in Scopus, the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature. Coverage will start soon!

An increasing number of global and local reports is providing a window into corrupt practices in the highly lucrative international education ‘industry’ including: falsification of entry documents, cheating in English language proficiency tests, online contract cheat sites selling assignments, plagiarism, and cheating and fraud in examinations. Little progress appears to have been made in what is an increasingly competitive environment at all levels of education. It is evident that the combination of competition and corruption in education is potentially lethal to academic integrity. This thematic collection invites empirical, theoretical or case study contributions which address this complex interplay of factors and provide fresh insights and recommendations for action.

Paraphrasing tools, translation software and ‘article spinners’ are text-processing applications easily found and accessed via the Internet. Text, ranging from phrases through to longer documents such as essays, can be entered in one field and then ‘spun’, reprocessed or translated. The output can mislead people into thinking that these tools create a new form of original writing. This thematic series offers the opportunity to explore the use of paraphrasing tools, article spinners, translation software and automated text processing as an emerging threat to academic integrity.

The IJEI is in the Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)

The International Journal for Educational Integrity (IJEI), as a scholarly outlet selected and reviewed in ESCI, has been identified as important to key opinion leaders, funders, and evaluators worldwide. ESCI allows researchers to discover new areas of research in evolving disciplines, as well as relevant interdisciplinary scholarly content across rapidly changing research fields. All articles published in this journal are discoverable via the Web of Science with full citation counts, author information and other enrichment.

We are delighted to announce that International Journal for Educational Integrity is now part of the BMC family of journals. The BMC website already receives over 100 million views per year and has expanded beyond biomedicine into a broader area of inquiry to offer a wider portfolio of subject fields on a single platform for authors considering open access publishing. Bookmark our new URL and make sure to sign up to our article alerts so you can keep up with all of the latest research and articles and read more about BMC’s pioneering spirit.

Editor’s quote

"The International Journal for Educational Integrity, now in its 13th year as an open access online journal, is well placed to lead the field in responding to emerging threats to academic integrity. In particular, concerns about contract cheating and ghostwriters have made international headlines. Schools and higher education providers need to collaborate with quality assurance, regulatory and funding bodies, to address this global issue. Authors are encouraged to use the IJEI to publish innovative research that identifies the contexts and causes of contract cheating, and provides evidence-based solutions. I look forward to receiving your submissions.” Tracey Bretag, DEd

Did you know that there are almost 200 open access article processing charge (APC) funds available to researchers worldwide? Many funding bodies require that research publications resulting from their grants are made freely available to all. By publishing your research with us you fully comply with open access mandates, and the publishing costs may be entirely covered by the research grant. This means that you won’t have to pay any publishing fee and you retain the copyright. Check here how to discover and apply for APC funding.