Neurodiversity and academic integrity

Toward epistemic plurality in a postplagiarism era

Bibliographic Data

ID21691322
AuthorsSarah Elaine Eaton (0000-0003-0607-6287, University of Calgary, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume31
Issue4
Pages685-704
Publication date2026-05-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTeaching in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1356-2517 • E-ISSN: 1470-1294
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13562517.2025.2583456
OpenAlexW4415802279
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited50

Academic misconduct policies can disadvantage neurodivergent students through ableist assessment design, surveillance technologies, and pedagogies of forced disclosure. In this narrative review, the intersection of neurodiversity and academic integrity in higher education was examined by analyzing 15 sources, using postplagiarism as a conceptual framing. Three themes emerged: (1) neurodivergent students face intersectional challenges when academic integrity frameworks misinterpret their cognitive differences as misconduct indicators; (2) educational technologies present a double impact: AI can improve accessibility, but detection software produces false positives disproportionately affecting neurodivergent students; and (3) competitive assessment practices foster environments where misconduct becomes more likely. Epistemic plurality is proposed as a framework to reconceptualize academic integrity beyond punitive approaches. Rather than standardizing knowledge expression, we can recognize that diverse cognitive styles enrich, rather than compromise, academic quality. Academic integrity must evolve beyond compliance-based models toward inclusive approaches that honour neurodiversity as human variation that enriches academic communities

Discourse analysis · Higher education · Knowledge production · Research methodology · Academic integrity and plagiarism · Academic Publishing and Open Access · Digital Education and Society

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