Information Literacyfor the Health Science Student

Lesson 7: Academic Honesty

Credit Where Credit Is DueAll academic research is built upon verifiable evidence. Your research paper is built upon the work of other scholars.

Properly citing your resources acknowledges that your opinion is based upon the research conducted by those who are experts in their field.

In college you must give credit to the research of those who have written the articles or books you use.

Remember that writing books and research articles is hard work. When you use information from someone’s research you must acknowledge your debt to their work.

What is Academic Dishonesty?

Under the heading Biblical Standards of Conduct the Eastern University Student Handbook clearly defines, on pages 39-42, what constitutes academic dishonesty and it’s consequences.

The following definitions and disciplinary information are taken from the 2014-2015 Student Handbook

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as presenting words, pictures, ideas, or artwork that are not your own as if they were your own in spoken, written or visual form.

In Written Work

In written work, three or more words taken directly from another author must be enclosed in quotation marks and footnoted. • The source of distinctive ideas

must also be acknowledged in a footnote.

• The words or ideas of another are not made your own work simply by paraphrasing.

• A paraphrase, even if acknowledged in a footnote, is unacceptable unless specifically permitted by the instructor.

Submitted WorkSubmitting a paper written by another student or another person as if it were your own is academic dishonesty.

Submitting a paper written by you for another course or occasion without the explicit knowledge and consent of the instructor is academic dishonesty.

Fabrication

Fabricating evidence or statistics that supposedly represents your original research is academic dishonesty.

Cheating

Cheating of any sort on tests, papers, projects, reports, and so forth is academic dishonesty.

Each faculty member is required to send a record, together with all evidence of all suspected cases of academic dishonesty, to the Academic Dean.

Academic PenaltiesDepending on the circumstances the faculty member may impose the following penalties.

• Assign a grade of F or zero on the paper, project or examination but allow re-submission, resulting in a maximum grade of C.

• Assign a grade of F or zero on the paper, project or examination without the opportunity for re-submission.

• Assign a grade of F in the course.

Academic DeanIn all cases the instructor will forward in writing evidence of the academic dishonesty and the academic penalty to the academic dean of the program who will in all cases forward all materials to the Dean of Students for follow-up and record keeping.

You can read the details in the Eastern University Student Handbook 2014-2015, pages 39-42.

Academic dishonesty is a serious matter.

Avoiding PlagiarismAs a general rule to avoid plagiarism think of this old adage, ”When in doubt cite.”

Properly citing your resources acknowledges that your opinion is based upon verifiable research conducted by those who are experts in their field.

Citing something doesn’t undermine your opinion.

Citations are made to demonstrate your research and support your opinion.

Do ResearchSearching for information is easy.

Doing research is more challenging.

Research requires you to use the information you have found and formulate your own opinion.

Don’t confuse searching for information with the research process. Your paper should contain your ideas bolstered by the information that you have found.

Stay Organized

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to stay organized and keep track of your research. Keep your personal notes separate from the works you cite.

It’s easy to confuse your words with the words of the people who wrote the books and articles that you use.

Don’t let a simple mistake cost you a good grade.

Your Words are ImportantRemember, when you write a paper, your professor wants to know what you have to say about a topic.

Your opinion matters. Your opinion must be in your own words backed by your research.

Your professor knows that you are a student. You are learning to do academic research. The best way for you to learn is by using your own words and thoughts about your research.

Making the GradeYou may feel pressure to get the best grades.

The best way to do this is by doing your own research and writing.

You are learning a new set of skills that you will need for the rest of your life.

The Library and the campus Writing Center are available to help you.

We all want you to make the grade.

Don’t Follow the CrowdNot everyone is plagiarizing. Despite what some people say.

Even so, you want to stand out from the crowd. Do your own work.

It is not worth the risk of academic discipline and the embarrassment to you and others.

Writing a research paper is an important part of your college life.

Plagiarism leads to failure and disciplinary action.

Common KnowledgeYou might think that “everyone knows that it’s common knowledge” and you fail to cite your information.

Remember that academic research is built upon verifiable evidence. Your research paper is built upon the work of scholars. You express your opinion based upon the evidence you present.

Assume nothing when making your opinion known. Back all your work with verifiable evidence.

Don’t Be Confused

Don’t turn in a paper that only repeats the words of others.

You should analyze and discuss the things you have learned and then present your opinion.

In the end your professor wants your opinion in your words, based upon your research.

Need Help?There is help for you in your college library.

Eastern University students can access the Citation Guides site at http://libguides.eastern.edu/citationguides . Learn about the tools you need to cite your resources properly.

The Writing Honestly guide site can help you avoid plagiarism, http://libguides.eastern.edu/plagiarism .

Tools to Assist YouEastern University students also have access citation management tools. They can help you stay organized.

There is a website dedicated to instructing you how to use RefWorks. This can be found at http://libguides.eastern.edu/refworks

The librarians are there to help you.

Stop by the reference desk, call 610-341-1777 or email reference1777@eastern.edu.

Remember

This concludes our last lesson.

Do the student activity for this lesson. After that proceed to the final assessment.

Revised Thursday, February 5, 15.