A Conceptual Framework for Trustworthy Digital Academic Records Management in Higher Education

Abstract

Digital academic records support admissions, assessment, progression, certification, accountability, and institutional memory.
Their value depends on more than digitization because fragmented ownership, inconsistent identifiers, weak provenance, and
poor preservation controls can make accessible data unreliable as evidence. This conceptual integrative review synthesizes
107 publications across records management, information systems, governance, security, preservation, and organizational
change. The synthesis identifies six interdependent capabilities: governance, data and metadata standards, interoperable
workflows, privacy and security, preservation and continuity, and user capability. The analysis shows that trustworthiness
emerges from their interaction. Strong technology cannot compensate for unclear decision rights, while formal policy has
limited effect without usable workflows, auditability, and staff competence. The paper contributes a six-capability framework,
testable propositions, and operational indicators for evaluating authenticity, accessibility, accountability, and continuity. The
framework supports staged implementation and empirical validation in higher education institutions.