We examined 45 academic integrity policy documents from 23 publicly-funded universities in Canada’s four western provinces using a qualitative research design. We extracted data related to 5 core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy (i.e., access, detail, responsibility, approach, support). Most documents pointed to punitive approaches for academic misconduct and were based on the notion that academic misconduct results from a lack of morals. One university used the term “contract cheating,” although nearly all categorized the outsourcing of academic work as plagiarism. Details about educational resources and supports to increase student and staff understanding of academic integrity and prevention of academic misconduct were sparse. This study signals the continuing punitive nature of academic integrity policies in western Canadian universities, the reluctance to address contract cheating directly, and the need to revise policies with deeper consideration of educative approaches to academic integrity that support students and academic staff.

我们使用定性研究设计，研究了来自加拿大四个西部省份的23所公立大学的45份学术诚信政策文件。我们提取了与示例性学术诚信政策的5个核心要素（即访问，细节，责任，方法，支持）有关的数据。大多数文件都指出了对学术不端行为的惩罚性方法，并基于这样的观念，即学术不端行为是由于缺乏道德而造成的。一所大学使用了“合同作弊”一词，尽管几乎所有大学都将学术工作的外包归类为窃。稀疏的教育资源和支持以提高学生和教职员工对学术诚信和防止学术不端行为的理解的细节。