Academic Integrity Module

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Academic Integrity Module

“Academic honesty boils down to three simple but powerful principles:

  • When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it.
  • When you rely on someone else’s work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them too.
  • When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That’s true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars.”

From Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagairism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. by Charles Lipson.  (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004), p.3


Overview

The Academic Integrity module is intended to be a five-week program for individual students who are in need of developing an understanding on how to avoid unintentional or intentional plagiarism.

During this five-week session, students will:


• learn and understand the three principles of academic honesty as outlined by Charles Lipson
• review what plagiarism is and how to avoid it
• develop a clear understanding of what it means to “find their voice” and contribute to a scholarly conversation
• develop a clear understanding of how to read critically, write annotations, and develop proper citation techniques
• develop a research project and then write a 5-10 page paper that demonstrates they have learned the basics or improved their skills in critical reading, citing appropriately, using quotations, and understanding proper paraphrasing techniques. The final paper will be reviewed by two librarians, and then submitted to the Director of Academic Programs with comments. The faculty member who originally referred students to the Director of Academic Programs for this module may be included in the final assessment.

The Program

Required Components


Prior to the start of the session with the librarians, students will have done the following:

  • Completed the online tutorial: CLIC Online Tutorial: Plagiarism. 
    • This tutorial was prepared by a group of librarians from CLIC and is a shared tutorial.
  • Read:
    • Lipson, Charles. Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. [Check for available copies in the library.]
    • Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008. (3rd edition). "Guard against inadvertent plagiarism and The Social Importance of Citing Sources", pages 191-197.  “The Ethics of Research”, pages 273-276. [Check for available copies in the library.]
  • The program will continue with:
    • Mandatory 60 minute session with librarians
      Upon completing the readings, and the quiz, the student will meet for 45 minutes with the Library Director, and/or a librarian for the initial overview, followed by 15 minutes to learn the basics of RefWorks, that is an online tool we use to teach students how to manage their citations. We will review what it means to be a member of an academic community, what academic integrity means, and the importance of proper attribution when using the work of others. The introduction to RefWorks will include instruction on how to compose abstracts or summaries in their own words.
    • Scheduled consultation with librarian and training on RefWorks
      The student will schedule a consultation with a librarian (depending on availability this will be the liaison, or Jean or Beth) to develop a research project and then conduct research saving citations to RefWorks. A minimum of six scholarly articles will be required. The research project could be for a related class or for the course in which the violation occurred.
    • Scheduled consultation with writing instructor, Rebecca Graham, at the MAX Center
    • Research project and 5-10 page paper with appropriate citations
      • Student will complete a draft of the paper within three weeks of the start of the session and include citations and abstracts from RefWorks. Footnotes will be according to a specified format (MLA, APA, etc.) depending on the discipline. The librarian will review and compare for accuracy. Another librarian or the Library Director will do a second review. The draft will be returned within one week, and the final version will be due the following week.
      • Student will submit final version, copies of all materials used including a copy of the RefWorks citations and summaries to the librarian assigned to work with him/her.
  • The program is then completed by the student, and the following will determine if the student has successfully completed the program:
    • Upon completion of the sessions, the librarians will submit both the paper and comments to the Dean of Academic Affairs who will determine if the student has successfully completed the sessions, and/or consult with the original faculty member to confirm a decision.
    • Final approval by Director of Academic Programs and faculty member who recommended the student complete the program.

 

This module has been prepared in cooperation with the Director of Academic Programs and approved for campus-wide use in August 2009.

Academic Programs - Academic Integrity

Updated August 20, 2009