Academic Honesty: What You Need to Know

1. Academic Honesty What is expected of you? Source: Amend, Bill,. Foxtrot comic. September 28, 2002. Web. http://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmps111/Spring06/syllabus.shtml

3. What is Plagiarism? 1)   to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own 2)  to use (another's production) without crediting the source 3)   to commit literary theft 4) to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means:

4. What Counts as Academic Dishonesty? • Copying and pasting from an electronic encyclopedia, online database, or the Internet • Buying a paper from the Internet or another source • Copying from one of your peers on a test • Finding an essay in a foreign language and then using a program to translate it • Getting your parents to write some of your paper • Direct quoting of a source without a citation • Working on an assignment with others when it is an individual assignment • Paraphrasing but not citing the source

5. What Counts as Academic Dishonesty? • Copying one sentence from an Internet site • Using an essay from another course/source • Copying a friend’s homework or project • Faking a citation • Downloading an essay and handing it in • Giving someone an old assignment to use • Using another person’s ideas as your own Source: Weiss, Ellen. Web. http://www.esubulletin.com/2011/03/10/7627

6. Teachers: “Why we have to stop it? • We want students to learn: • good work habits… “Don’t leave things to the last minute and you won’t need to panic and plagiarize.” • the course curriculum.… “If you use other people’s work, you aren’t learning the material.” • how to properly cite work… “Go ahead. Borrow, get ideas, get help. Just give CREDIT where CREDIT is DUE!”

7. Teachers: “Why we have to stop it? • Honesty and integrity... ”School is not just about learning curriculum; it’s about building character, too.” • Fairness… “How is your cheating fair to your peers?” • Makes our job harder … “I hate having to look for copied work instead of simply marking.” • “We want to hear your views, hear your voice, and read your work.”

8. Students: Why we sometimes do it? • Stress, pressure, and competition to do well in school (parents, getting into college or university): “I am stressed out.” • It is worth the gamble: “The odds are with me… I know I can get away with it; lots of other students do.” • Teacher won’t look at the work carefully enough to catch it. • Some students feel their research and writing skills are inadequate: “I didn’t think I could do a good job on my own.” • Peer pressure: “Everyone else is doing it.” • Students don’t understand concepts of plagiarism: ”I didn’t know it was plagiarism.”

9. Students: Why we sometimes do it? • Lack of perceived punishment: “Even if I get caught, nothing will happen.” • Some students think that copying or buying material from the Internet is a form of “research”. “You want me to read a book about that topic? That’ll take too long.” • Poor time management skills:“I have too many things due, a part-time job, and responsibilities at home.” • Lack of comprehension:“I didn’t understand the material.” • Peer pressure:“I just wanted to help my friend.”

10. Students: Why we choose not to do it? • Right vs. wrong  “It’s just plain wrong.” • It isn’t worth the gamble: “The odds may be with me, but I’ll probably get caught.” • Fear of disappointing parents, teachers, and friends • Teacher • Integrity and honesty • Fear of punishment • Pride in work

11. Caught! • Teachers know you and your writing style • Teachers are content experts and read widely • Teachers, teacher-librarians, and administrators work as a team to trace questionable information • High-tech programs are available to detect plagiarism http://www.turnitin.com/static/home.html

12. HDSB Cheating and Plagiarism Policy When plagiarism or cheating is suspected, teachers will: • gather evidence of the plagiarism or cheating Source: HDSB Administrative Procedure Cheating and Plagiarism September 2011

13. Response to Cheating and Plagiarism Schools will: • record incidents of academic dishonesty Source: HDSB Administrative Procedure Cheating and Plagiarism September 2011

14. Response to Cheating and Plagiarism Teachers will: • discuss the matter with the student(s) involved; • define and explain the evidence of cheating and plagiarism in the student’s work to ensure the student understands why his/her academic honesty is being questioned; • inform a student’s parent(s) / guardian(s); • in the event of a serious incident that may have an impact on a student’s success or repeated incidents by a student inform Administration. Source: HDSB Administrative Procedure Cheating and Plagiarism September 2011

15. Response to Cheating and Plagiarism Teachers may: • require the student to redo the work; • require the student to do supplementary or alternative work; • in consultation with Administration assign a grade penalty up to the full value of the assignment. This means YOU COULD BE GIVEN A ZERO! Source: HDSB Administrative Procedure Cheating and Plagiarism September 2011

16. Response to Cheating and Plagiarism Administration may: • meet with the student, parent(s)/guardian(s) and teacher; • limit a student’s eligibility for school awards; • suspend the student; • assign other consequences for the behaviour as appropriate. Source: HDSB Administrative Procedure Cheating and Plagiarism September 2011

17. What are your questions?