Dishonesty in the biochemistry classroom laboratory: A synthesis of causes and prevention

Although reports of academic cheating are abundant, there are relatively few papers in the literature that focus on cheating in the context of science courses and even fewer that address dishonest practices, such as “cooking” or fudging data, within the classroom laboratory. This paper briefly reviews the existing literature on academic dishonesty and explores two theories that can be used to explain why cheating occurs: (1) classroom goal structure and (2) attitudes of neutralization. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of these theories within the context of a biochemistry and molecular biology teaching laboratory.