ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

ROMA ILNYCKYJUBC WRITING CENTRE

WHAT IS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY?

Honest and responsible scholarship:– Handing in your own work– Acknowledging your sources– Acknowledging collaborations– Accurately reporting test or experiment results– Maintaining honesty during exams

Academic integrity is your responsibility Familiarize yourself with

UBC’s policies on academic integrity

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Academic integrity is the foundation of individual and institutional scholarly success

UBC places great importance on academic integrity, and punishes academic misconduct– UBC Student Discipline Summaries

TurnItIn New grade: “FD”

CHEATING

Sharing answers during an exam Taking something into an exam in order to

help you (cheat sheet, cell phone…) Looking over someone’s shoulder during an

exam

PLAGIARISM

The use of someone else’s words or ideas without proper acknowledgement.

Even accidental plagiarism is subject to disciplinary measures

It is possible to plagiarize yourself!– “Self plagiarism”– If you use previous work done in another class,

and you haven’t spoken to your professor about it or acknowledged it properly, this is plagiarism

THE WRITING PROCESS

Start early! You must pay attention to academic integrity in every

step of the writing process There is potential for mistakes to occur in every

phase of writing:– Finding sources– Taking notes– Presenting information– Citations– Works cited/bibliography– Final formatting, editing, and proofreading

FINDING SOURCES

Sources:– Books, journal articles, videos, newspaper articles,

websites, interviews, speeches, lab reports Your sources should be:

– Legitimate– Appropriate to your topic

Where to look:– Library– Library website (catalogue, Metalib)– Internet

TAKING NOTES

Be organized, and be accurate Keep separate notes for each source you’re

using. That way you’ll always know where specific information can be found.

Clearly indicate whether the notes you’re writing are direct quotes or in your own words

PRESENTING INFORMATION

Direct quote:– Using someone’s words in the exact format as the

original text

Indirect quote:– Using your own words to express another

person’s idea– The use of indirect quotes requires paraphrasing

PRESENTING INFORMATION

Paraphrasing: A summary or explanation of an idea in your own

words. Paraphrasing is NOT just changing a few words in a

sentence. Tip: when paraphrasing, turn away from the text and

try to explain the idea you are paraphrasing to a friend or family member. (If no one’s around, tell your dog or a plant, or even talk to yourself in the mirror.)

PRESENTING INFORMATION

In his book City of Glass,Douglas Coupland (2000)describes Vancouver’s foliage:

The city drips with green, and in April and May, the city’s rhododendrons, plums, cherries, azaleas and magnolias transform the city. The streets become aflutter with mounds of pink fluff snow, and everyone takes a deep breath and remembers exactly why they live here. It is glorious. (p. 135)

In his book City of Glass,Douglas Coupland (2000)paints a beautiful picture ofVancouver’s foliage. Hedescribes the many types offlowers that grow in the springand how they remind people ofhow wonderful it is to live inVancouver.

PRESENTING INFORMATION

Paraphrasing practice: With the person sitting next to you, paraphrase the

following paragraph:“In Vancouver, we don’t get weather so much as

weathers. In the span of a day, citizens can expect

torrential downpours followed by balmy sunshine

followed by ominous overcast followed by a killer

sunset and finished with a light hail” (Coupland, 2000,p.

142).

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

A citation is a reference to any item you’ve drawn information from in researching and writing your paper

Dozens of different citation styles exist– MLA, APA, Turabian, Chicago, CSE

A citation style is a method of formatting information about your sources

Most disciplines use one specific style, but professors may also have individual preferences, so always double-check

WORKS CITED / BIBLIOGRAPHY

APA Style:

Coupland, D., (2000). City of Glass. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.

MLA Style:

Coupland, Douglas. City of Glass. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2000. Print.

FINAL FORMATTING, EDITINGAND PROOFREADING

Make sure your paper is formatted correctly according to the citation style you are using (citations, title page, page numbers, headers, etc.)

Read over your final draft carefully to catch typos, spelling mistakes, and grammar errors (read out loud)

What about having other people read over your work?

SCENARIO 1

I took a history class about China last year and wrote a paper on modern Chinese literature. This year, I’m taking a Chinese literature class and my term paper is due in a couple of weeks. Since the topic is the same, I decide to hand in my history paper as my literature term paper.

Is this plagiarism? Why or why not? What should I have done instead?

SCENARIO 2

My psychology term paper is due tomorrow and I ask my sister to read it over for me because she always does really well on papers. She says that the last paragraph is really hard to understand and that she doesn’t like the title. I rewrite both before I hand my paper in.

Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?

SCENARIO 3

My friend and I are both taking the same introductory sociology class. We get our first assignment, which the professor says is to be completed individually. My friend and I each do half of the questions and share the answers with each other.

Is this plagiarism? Why or why not?

SCENARIO 4

I’m writing a paper about beaches in Vancouver. I remember reading somewhere that Vancouver has the highest number of beaches per capita in Canada. I can’t remember where I saw that fact, but it’s pretty interesting so I include it in my paper.

Is this plagiarism? Why or why not? What should I have done instead?

UBC Academic Culture

International Peer Program

Student Management Team

Part 1: Plagiarism

Jasmine enters the Irving K. Barber Library to work on her Biology essay.

On her way to her study space she runs into her classmate, Hasan.

An hour later.

FREEZE!

What actions in this skit may be considered as plagiarism or unacceptable for the project?

Copying a picture and table without citing where it is from.

Using someone else’s opinion as your own. Improperly referencing the material, failure to

include in-text citations. This project required academic sources such as

those from journals. The information on non-academic websites may not be accurate.

What may have caused Jasmine to plagiarize, even if it was unintentional?

She didn’t allot enough time to spend on the presentation

Didn’t understand her professor’s request for academic sources and didn’t clarify when Hasan mentioned it.

HELP!

GETTING HELP

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! – Writing Centre tutors – Librarians– Online resources– Style guides and reference books (MLA

handbook, etc.)– Professors and TAs– International Peer Program

Academic coaching

THE UBC WRITING CENTRE

UBC Writing Centre Website Free for UBC students One-on-one, fifty-minute sessions with experienced

and trained tutors Located at:

– Ponderosa Annex C, 2021 West Mall Monday-Friday, 9-4

– Chapman Learning Commons Monday-Friday 4-8

THE UBC WRITING CENTRE

Writing Centre tutors do not proofread or edit work! Our goal is help students develop their own writing,

proofreading and editing skills. We can help you with:

– Grammar– Citations– Researching– Formatting– Developing thesis statements– Avoiding plagiarism

UBC LIBRARIES

Librarians Workshops Library Website

– Finding sources– Links to citation style guides– RefWorks– Ask Away

REMEMBER

You have a voice and we want to hear it!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Part 2: Confusion in Class

Setting: In class, a professor is facilitating a discussion.

Jasmine arrives to class late and is unaware that today’s class is discussion based.

 

FREEZE!

Who could Jasmine go to in order to clear up her confusion?

Classmate

Professor

HELP!

How to Talk to Your Professor

May I ask a quick question about…? Could you help me understand what you

meant by…? I’m having some troubles with … so I was

wondering if you could…? Would you explain … one more time please?

Part 3: Wellness and Healthy Minds

Jasmine is sitting at her desk, which is filled with empty coffee cups, leftover pizza, energy drinks, and paper everywhere... 

Jasmine comes back to her desk just as her roommate is coming home.

FREEZE!

How is Jasmine being unhealthy?

Using coffee and energy drinks to prevent herself from sleeping

Neglecting her appetite Planning to eat an unbalanced meal that lacks in

nutrition Cramming for her exam and not giving herself

enough time to study– Remember everyone studies differently. Don’t rely on the

amount of time your friend studied because you may need more!

Getting no sleep before the exam.

HELP!

Part 4: Email Etiquette

Setting: Jasmine’s room. 

Jasmine is looking through papers and thinking aloud.

Hey Dr.!

Whats up? sorry to bug ya, but i got a ques to ask... thing is, I'm like soooooooooo confused about the lab assignment lol can you tell me what mass you were talking about in the lab sheet... see it doesn't specify and i dont even know where to start lolzzzzzzz

cheers- jasmine

FREEZE!

What’s wrong with Jasmine’s email to her professor?

The way she addresses her professor. Casual language and slang phrases. She is unclear about which assignment she

is referring to. She is not well prepared

– It does not seem as if she has made an effort on her own to clear her confusing.

HELP!

From: Sara sarabest@interchange.ubc.ca To: Iam AwesomeSent: September 1, 2009Subject: ASIA 364 reading

Dear Prof. Awesome,

I am writing regarding the ASIA 364 readings for nextweek’s session on Indonesia. I would like to prepare the readings over the weekend but have been unable to find them online. If it would be possible for you to post them by Friday I would very much appreciate it.Thank you for your assistance.

Sara Best Student number 123456

Email Etiquette Tips

Use your UBC interchange address. Make it look professional. Include the course number in title. Put your student number at the bottom. Follow up with a thank you mail.

International Peer Academic Coaches

Come talk to us if you’re having an academic skill related problem.

– Studying skills, exam preparation skills, time management, how to participate in discussions, maintain a healthy balance, and much more!

We will work with you to help you identify your academic strengths and challenges.

We will connect you to the resources you need to succeed.

Offer many skill development workshops

How to Connect with Academic Coaches?

Join the International Peer Program! APPLY NOW: www.students.ubc.ca/go/ipp EMAIL us: ipp.info@ubc.ca

IPP has much more to offer, including our awesome social and community involvement events!

Join us today at World Café– I. House 2pm