Multiple studies and systematic reviews confirm that academic theft, plagiarism, and misconduct occur at a measurable and often prevalent rate across educational institutions worldwide. Higher education literature consistently reports that intellectual dishonesty remains a persistent challenge affecting institutional integrity.
The claim is specific, empirical, and falsifiable, passing Step 0 checks. All retrieved papers that directly address the frequency or occurrence of academic theft and misconduct document that it is a measurable and prevalent issue across academic institutions. There are no papers refuting the prevalence of academic theft. Therefore, the balance verdict is SUPPORTED.