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Tracey Bretag

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Tracey Bretag EdD (1958–2020), was an Australian academic and educator, known for her extensive work in higher education, with a particular focus on plagiarism and academic integrity.[1][2][3][4] Her research and advocacy focused on promoting ethical practices in academia and addressing issues related to academic misconduct.

Early life and education

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Tracey Bretag completed her Bachelor of Arts (BA - English & History) at James Cook University, an Honours Degree and a Master of Arts (MA) by Research in English from the University of Adelaide. She completed a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) by research from the University of South Australia, where her research began to concentrate on academic integrity and ethics in education.

Bretag was known for spirited debates with colleagues and others on a variety of topics relating to integrity and ethics.[5][6] Her commitment to ethics extended to her personal life and she followed a strict vegetarian diet. She was once arrested in Woomera, Australia on charges of trespassing for her support of youth refugees who had gone on a hunger strike.[7][6][8] She was later charged with failing to obey the directions of a federal officer.[9]

Bretag died of cancer at the age of 58 on October 7, 2020. Tributes from around the world included an obituary published by Times Higher Education,[10] another from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE),[11] tributes from colleagues,[12][6][13] as well as Campus Morning Mail[14] in Australia.

Career

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Bretag spent much of her career at the University of South Australia, where she served as the director of the UniSA Business School Office for Academic Integrity. Bretag's global influence in the field of academic integrity is evidenced, in part by the founding of the European Network for Academic Integrity[15] in 2015.

Research contributions

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According to Google Scholar,[16] Bretag is among the most highly cited scholars in the field of academic integrity. Her research has significantly influenced the discourse on academic integrity. She published numerous articles and book chapters addressing topics such as plagiarism[17] and self-plagiarism,[18][19] and contract cheating.[20][21] Bretag's work has been instrumental in shaping academic integrity best practices for educators and institutions worldwide, as well as setting a global research agenda for academic integrity.[22] Some notable research projects included:

Exemplary Academic Integrity Project[1]

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This project was the first of its kind in the world, as team members conducted in-depth policy analysis of academic integrity policies across Australia.[4] The project led to evidence-based recommendations about how to develop and maintain academic integrity policies in higher education.[3][23][24] This project had international influence, as the 'Five Core Elements of Exemplary Academic Integrity Policies'[23] were later used by researchers in other countries such as New Zealand,[25] Canada,[26] and throughout South America[27][28] as a framework for policy analysis, development and revision. Although this project began in Australia, it had a ripple effect of influencing academic integrity policy and procedure development across the world. More than a decade after the initial results of the project were published in Australia, the project continues to have an influence in that country.[24]

Academic Integrity online training program[2]

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Bretag was the Lead Advisor for the first edition of the Academic Integrity [2] training program for staff and students, published by Epigeum, an imprint of Oxford University Press, at the time of the first edition. This online training program included modules for teaching staff and students. It was widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive online training programs for academic integrity at the time. Epigeum was later sold to Sage Publications, who continued the project into a second edition after Bretag's death. The second edition was led by Thomas Lancaster and Sarah Elaine Eaton, who maintained a focus on quality throughout the process to continue to honour Bretag's original contributions.

Contract Cheating Project

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Starting in 2011 Bretag led four large Australian Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) funded research projects. One of these, the OLT project Contract cheating and assessment design: Exploring the connection[29] was co-led with Rowena Harper. This project included the largest survey anywhere in the world of students and teaching staff to gather data about their attitudes towards, and experiences with contract cheating.[20][21]

Bretag was a former chair of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Educational Integrity, and a past president of the executive board to the International Center for Academic Integrity in the U.S.

International Journal for Educational Integrity

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Bretag co-founded the International Journal for Educational Integrity[30] (IJEI) in 2005, together with Helen Titchener (formerly known as Helen Marsden).[31] The inaugural issue of the journal included contributions from some of the best known scholars in the field at the time including Donald (Don) McCabe),[32] Jude Carroll and Jon Appleton,[33] Ursula McGowan,[34] Sue Saltmarsh,[35] and Celia Thompson.[36]

From 2005 to 2015 the IJEI was hosted by the University of South Australia's Open Journal System (OJS), before being moved to Springer. The archives of the first ten years of IJEI remain publicly and freely accessible as open access articles.[37] Bretag served as the sole editor-in-chief of the International Journal for Educational Integrity[30] from 2005 to 2019. Upon learning of her terminal illness she invited Sarah Elaine Eaton (University of Calgary) to join her as co-editor. Eaton carried on as Editor-in-Chief after Bretag's death in 2020.

Handbook of Academic Integrity

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Another of Bretag's scholarly achievements was the Handbook of Academic Integrity,[38] published by Springer in 2016. Bretag conceptualized the first edition of the handbook and served as the Editor-in-Chief, as well as a contributing author.[4][39][40][41] The handbook included more than 70 chapters from experts all over the world and is considered a foundational text on academic integrity.

Leadership and advocacy

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Bretag was a fierce advocate for legislation against contract cheating in Australia and after legislation was introduced, her influence with government and policy makers was noted by the media.[42][43]

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

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Bretag was an elected member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Council from 2017 until her death. In this role, she contributed to global dialogue, education, and advocacy on topics related to research integrity and publication ethics. In doing so, she was one of the first people to make concrete connections between plagiarism and academic integrity in educational contexts, and scientific integrity and ethics beyond the classroom.

Life as a public intellectual

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Bretag's work extended to life as a public intellectual. She wrote and spoke about topics related to ethics and corruption in higher education. She published commentaries and articles in Nature[20] and The Conversation.[44][45] She was regularly called upon by the media to provide commentary.[42][43][46]

Keynote speeches

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Bretag was an internationally recognized keynote speaker.[13] She headlined conferences in Australia,[47] Europe,[48] and Canada,[49] among other places.

Awards and recognition

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Bretag received numerous awards and recognitions for her contributions to education and academic integrity. Her commitment to improving academic practices has earned her recognition as a leading expert in the field. Bretag's awards included the UniSA Scholarly Teaching and Postgraduate Lecturer of the Year Awards in 2003, Supported Teacher Awards from UniSA from 2005 to 2009, an Excellence in Teaching Award from UniSA Division of Business in 2010, an ESL Educator of the Year Award by the English as a Second Language Educators (SA) Inc in 2004 and a Certificate of Commendation for Research Excellence from UniSA Business School in 2014.

In 2019, Times Higher Education named Bretag as one of the "People of the year: Who mattered in Higher Education in 2019".[50]

Legacy

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Following her death, two awards were named in Bretag's honour. The European Network for Academic Integrity named an annual award after her, the "Tracey Bretag ENAI Memorial Award".[51] In addition, Studiosity launched the Prof. Tracey Bretag Prize for Academic Integrity.[52]

Through her research, teaching, and advocacy, Bretag continues to be a vital influence in promoting integrity within academia, ensuring that educational institutions uphold the highest ethical standards.

References

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  1. ^ a b ""The Exemplary Academic Integrity Project"". University of South Australia. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c ""Academic Integrity"". Epigeum: A Sage Resource. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b Bretag, T., Mahmud, S., East, J., Green, M., & James, C. (2011). Academic integrity standards: A preliminary analysis of the Academic integrity policies at Australian Universities Proceedings of AuQF 2011 Demonstrating Quality, Melbourne. https://ro.uow.edu.au/asdpapers/323/
  4. ^ a b c Bretag, T., & Mahmud, S. (2016). A conceptual framework for implementing exemplary academic integrity policy in Australian higher education. In T. Bretag (Ed.), Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 463-480). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-098-8_24
  5. ^ ""WCRI 2019: Day 2"". Copy, Shake, and Paste: A blog about plagiarism and scientific misconduct. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Fuller, Juliet. "Vale Prof Tracey Bretag". Advocate. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  7. ^ Demack, Andrew (28 January 2002). "Bleeding Hearts as Entertainment". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  8. ^ Corder, Mike (26 January 2002). ""Kids Make Suicide Pact in Australia"". Midland Daily News. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  9. ^ Tinkler, Emma (27 January 2002). ""Some Asylum Seekers End Hunger Strike"". MRT. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  10. ^ Reisz, Mathew (29 October 2020). ""Tracey Bretag, 1962-2020"". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  11. ^ ""Obituary: Tracey Bretag, COPE Council member"". Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  12. ^ Eaton, S. E., Titchener, H., Rogerson, A., Mahmud, S., Prentice, F., Curtis, G., Seaton, K., Awdry, R., Fishman, T., Glendinning, I., Lancaster, T., Morris, E. J., Orim, S.-M., Rowell, G., Draper, M., Newton, P., Foltýnek, T., Shala, S., Leka, D.,…Crotty, R. (2020). In memory of Tracey Bretag: a collection of tributes. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 16(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-00066-2
  13. ^ a b Bailey, J. (2020, October 8). Remembering Dr. Tracey Bretag. Plagiarism Today. https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2020/10/08/remembering-dr-tracey-bretag/
  14. ^ ""Tracey Bretag dies"". Campus Morning Mail. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  15. ^ ""Home page"". European Network for Academic Integrity. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  16. ^ ""Google Scholar: Academic Integrity"". Google Scholar. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  17. ^ Bretag, Tracey (13 December 2013). ""Challenges in addressing plagiarism in education"". PLOS Medicine. 10 (12): e1001574. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001574. PMC 3876970. PMID 24391477.
  18. ^ Bretag, T., & Mahmud, S. (2009). Self-Plagiarism or Appropriate Textual Re-use? [journal article]. Journal of Academic Ethics, 7(3), 193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-009-9092-1
  19. ^ Bretag, T., & Carapiet, S. (2007). A Preliminary Study to Identify the Extent of Self-Plagiarism in Australian Academic Research [Article]. Plagiary, 92-103. http://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=31238756&site=ehost-live
  20. ^ a b c Bretag, Tracey (30 October 2019). ""Contract cheating will erode trust in science"". Nature. 574 (599): 599. Bibcode:2019Natur.574..599B. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-03265-1. PMID 31664215.
  21. ^ a b Harper, R., Bretag, T., Ellis, C., Newton, P., Rozenberg, P., Saddiqui, S., & van Haeringen, K. (2019). Contract cheating: A survey of Australian university staff. Studies in higher education, 44(11), 1857-1873. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1462789
  22. ^ Bretag, T. (Ed.). (2020). A research agenda for academic integrity. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  23. ^ a b Bretag, T., Mahmud, S., Wallace, M., Walker, R., James, C., Green, M., East, J., McGowan, U., & Partridge, L. (2011). Core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy in Australian higher education. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 7(2), 3-12. https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v7i2.759
  24. ^ a b Mahmud, S. (2024). Transformative Change in Academic Integrity Policy at Australian Universities. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 825-839). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54144-5_119
  25. ^ Möller, A. (2022). An analysis of university academic integrity policies in New Zealand. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2130195
  26. ^ Stoesz, B. M., & Eaton, S. E. (2022). Academic integrity policies of publicly funded universities in western Canada. Educational Policy, 36(6), 1529 - 1548. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904820983032
  27. ^ Moya, B. A. (2024). Academic Integrity Policies in Hispanic South American Higher Education: Status and Recommendations. In S. E. Eaton (Ed.), Second Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 911-933). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54144-5_122
  28. ^ Moya, B. A., & Eaton, S. E. (2024). Academic Integrity Policy Analysis of Chilean Universities. Journal of Academic Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09515-w
  29. ^ Bretag, T., Harper, R., Burton, M., Ellis, C., Newton, P., van Haeringen, K., Saddiqui, S., & Rozenberg, P. (2019). Contract cheating and assessment design: Exploring the relationship. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(5), 676-691. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1527892
  30. ^ a b ""International Journal for Educational Integrity: Home"". BMC Springer: International Journal for Educational Integrity. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  31. ^ Marsden, H., & Bretag, T. (2005). Editorial. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1), 1-2. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.13
  32. ^ McCabe, D. L. (2005). Cheating among college and university students: A North American perspective. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.14
  33. ^ Carroll, J., & Appleton, J. (2005). Towards consistent penalty decisions for breaches of academic regulations in one UK university. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.15
  34. ^ McGowan, U. (2005). Does educational integrity mean teaching students NOT to 'use their own words'? International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.16
  35. ^ Saltmarsh, S. (2005). 'White pages' in the academy: Plagiarism, consumption and racist rationalities. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1), 1-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.17
  36. ^ Thompson, C. (2005). 'Authority is everything': A study of the politics of textual ownership. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 1(1). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v1i1.18
  37. ^ ""International Journal for Educational Integrity: Archives 2005-2014"". International Journal for Educational Integrity. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  38. ^ Bretag, T. (Ed.). (2016). Handbook of Academic Integrity. Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-098-8.
  39. ^ Bretag, T. (2016). Educational integrity in Australia. In T. Bretag (Ed.), Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 23-38). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-098-8_2
  40. ^ Bretag, T. (2016). Discipline-specific approaches to academic integrity: Introduction. In T. Bretag (Ed.), Handbook of Academic Integrity (1st ed., pp. 673-675). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-098-8_78
  41. ^ Bretag, T. (2016). Contextual Factors which Impact on Academic Integrity: Introduction. In T. Bretag (Ed.), Handbook of Academic Integrity (pp. 305-306). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-098-8_77
  42. ^ a b Main, L. (2019, July 8). 'Alarming': University cheats face jail time, big fines. Financial Review. https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/alarming-university-cheats-face-jail-time-big-fines-20190702-p5239u
  43. ^ a b Hare, J. (2019). Letter from Australia: Paying the price for cheating. WONKHE. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/letter-from-australia-paying-the-price-for-cheating/
  44. ^ Bretag, T. (2015, April 20). Australian unis should take responsibility for corrupt practices in international education. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/australian-unis-should-take-responsibility-for-corrupt-practices-in-international-education-40380
  45. ^ Bretag, T., & Harper, R. (2017, May 11). Assessment design won’t stop cheating, but our relationships with students might. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/assessment-design-wont-stop-cheating-but-our-relationships-with-students-might-76394
  46. ^ McKie, Anna (13 September 2018). ""Can universities beat contract cheating?"". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  47. ^ Bretag, T. (2017, June 22). Policy, Practice and Student Perspective. https://www.plagiarism.org/video/policy-practice-and-the-student-perspective
  48. ^ Bretag, T. (2018). Responding to breaches of academic integrity: The need to be consistent, transparent and compassionate [Keynote address] 4th International Conference: Plagiarism across Europe and Beyond, Çanakkale, Türkiye. https://academicintegrity.eu/conference/proceedings/2018/bretag18.pdf
  49. ^ Bretag, T. (2019). Academic integrity: A global community of scholars [Keynote address] Canadian Symposium on Academic Integrity, Calgary, Canada. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110280
  50. ^ Lau, J., Reisz, M., McKie, A., Grove, J., Bothwell, E., Ross, J., Basken, P., Morgan, J., & Havergal, C. (2019, December 17). People of the year: Who mattered in higher education in 2019. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/people-year-who-mattered-higher-education-in2019
  51. ^ ""ENAI Awards"". European Network for Academic Integrity. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  52. ^ ""Prof Tracey Bretag Prize for Academic Integrity"". Studiosity. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
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