University Etiquette as Mechanism of Enhancing the Academic Responsibility

In the current context of higher education, at both national and international level, ethics and academic integrity have become central concerns, and higher education institutions are increasingly seeking effective mechanisms to promote responsible behaviour. In this context, the present article examines the role of university etiquette - understood as the ensemble of norms of civil and ethical conduct within the academic environment - as a mechanism for enhancing the academic responsibility. Drawing on the specialised literature and the current regulatory framework, it analyses the concepts of university etiquette and academic responsibility and highlights the intrinsic relationship between them. It is argued that mutual respect, intellectual honesty, fairness and the assumption of responsibility for one's own actions are both fundamental ethical principles and concrete expressions of university etiquette, contributing to the prevention of integrity breaches and to the reinforcement of individual and institutional accountability. Furthermore, the article discusses how respectful behaviour in interactions between students and professors, together with the consistent application of university codes of ethics and the introduction of compulsory courses on ethics and academic integrity, helps to create an organisational climate grounded in trust and responsibility. At the same time, it emphasises the need to combine formal mechanisms, such as codes of ethics and ethics committees, with informal ones, such as unwritten etiquette norms and organisational culture, in order to consolidate responsibility among members of the academic community. The conclusion advanced is that university etiquette, when integrated into the organisational culture of higher education institutions, constitutes an essential mechanism for promoting an academic culture centred on integrity, professionalism and responsibility.