Academic Incivility in Nursing Education: A Scoping Review

Background: Incivility is a persistent challenge in nursing education with serious consequences for faculty well-being, student learning, and program climate. Research remains fragmented and inconsistently grounded in theory. Purpose: To map the extent, range, and nature of research on academic incivility in nursing education, identify key themes, and highlight gaps to inform future research and practice. Methods: A scoping review guided by the Population–Concept–Context framework was conducted across PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and Scopus (2000–2025). Studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and review articles addressing uncivil behaviors in academic and clinical settings. Results: Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Academic incivility was multifactorial and bidirectional, with negative effects on faculty well-being, student learning, relationships, and program climate. Gaps included inconsistent measurement, limited theoretical grounding, and minimal intervention testing. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for theoretically informed, empirically tested strategies to foster civility and support healthy learning environments in nursing education.