How to Avoid Academic Misconduct

Avoiding Plagiarism and
Academic Misconduct

 To introduce you to the concept of academic
integrity, so you can avoid accusations of
academic misconduct while pursuing studies at
university

 At the end of this lesson you will be able to:
 Define academic integrity
 Identify different forms of academic malpractice
 Explain why there is academic misconduct
among students
 Describe basic techniques for avoiding academic
misconduct

 Honesty to oneself and others;
• “Cultivating honesty or developing in each of us the
courage to make difficult choices and accept
responsibility for actions and their consequences,
even at personal cost.” (Bailey, 2003, p.7)
adherence to moral and ethical principles
 soundness of moral character
 honesty in coursework and research

 Copying from another student during
an exam
 Presenting a paper copied from a file
or purchase and presenting it as
original work
 Faking the results of a laboratory
experiment or work
 Asking for examination content or
answers from another student or
teacher

 Using material from another student’s
paper, without giving credit to the
other student
 Working in a group, when an
assignment was given as individual
work
 “Sitting for” or taking an exam for
another student
 Writing a laboratory report without
performing the lab activity/experiment

 Plagiarism is presenting the
ideas, work or words of other
people without proper and
clear acknowledgement.
Or
 It is passing someone else’s
work as your own
Or
 Using another’s work,
without giving credit to them.

Intentional plagiarism
 Example: Copying and pasting from the internet
with no citation and/or quotation marks
 Copying from another student’s work (collusion)
 Submitting work already submitted in the past
(same or another course)
Unintentional plagiarism
 Not referencing properly (due to recklessness or not
knowing academic conventions)
 Both types are subject to disciplinary action

 Why should we be
concerned about
plagiarism?

 It may lead to failing a course or expulsion from
university
 Copying will not help you understand or learn
concepts
 It is unethical, dishonest and can have serious
consequences for your future career
 You must show that you understand the rules of
academia

 You are taking credit for
something that is not yours
 It is stealing
 There can be huge
consequences

 There are many types of plagiarism, although no
degree of plagiarism is acceptable.
 Plagiarism can range from complete
plagiarism (as the most glaring act of fraud) to
accidental plagiarism.
 That is why, knowledge about plagiarism is a key
learning component at colleges and universities.

 Self-plagiarism: it occurs where
you submit work that you have
presented for assessment on a
previous occasion
 Complete Plagiarism: Most
severe form of plagiarism where
a researcher takes a manuscript
or study that someone else
created, and submits it under his
or her name.
 It is tantamount to intellectual
theft and stealing.

 Source-based Plagiarism: occurs when a
researcher references a source that is incorrect or
does not exist : it is a misleading citation.
 Data fabrication and falsification: Data
fabrication is the making up of data and research
findings, while Data falsification involves changing
or omitting data to give a false impression.

 Self or Auto Plagiarism:
Happens when an author
reuses significant portions of
his or her previously
published work without
attribution.
 Accidental Plagiarism:
Occurs because of neglect,
mistake, or unintentional
paraphrasing.

 Collusion : Any agreement to
hide someone else's individual
input to collaborative work with
the intention of securing a mark
higher than either you or
another student might deserve.
 Whether intended or
unintended, there is no excuse
for plagiarism and the
consequences are often the
same.

 Why do people plagiarise?
 What can we do to prevent it?

Poor time management skills
Pressure of workload
Ignorance or lack of knowledge about
plagiarism
Pressure to succeed
Technology
The consequences of cheating are viewed as
unimportant

 Developing strong time
management skills
 Don't construct a piece of
work by cutting and pasting
 Make a note of the source of
every piece of information at
the time you record it, even
if it is just one sentence.

 Sometimes you may need to quote
someone else's exact form of words
in order to analyze or criticize them
 In which case the quotation must be
enclosed in quotation marks to
show that it is a direct quote, and it
must have the source properly
acknowledged at that point.
 Do attribute all ideas to their original
authors.

How can we avoid plagiarism?

 Reading and note-taking (in your own words)
 Effective paraphrasing
 Noting down where exactly you read the
information you put in your own words
 Citing clearly: name of author, date & page (if
quoting)

 Good referencing skills can help you to avoid
accusation of plagiarism.
At the end of your report/essay you must put in
full ALL the sources/references used.
 Submitting on Turnitin to check your degree of
similarity
 Good Essay planning skills

 Baron, J. and Crooks, S.M. (2005). Academic
integrity in web based distance education.
TechTrends, 49(2), pp.40-45.
 Cottrell, S. (2019). The study skills handbook.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
 McGowan, S. (2016). Breaches of academic
integrity using collusion. Handbook of academic
integrity, pp.222-248.
 Thomas, J. and Scott, J. (2016). UK perspectives of
academic integrity. Handbook of academic integrity,
pp.39-53.

At Talent and Skills Hub, you can be
supported by our instructors, academic
skills advisors and mentors for sessions on
quality academic writing. You can book
appointment for one-to-one or group
tutoring through our appointments booking
page

How to Avoid Academic Misconduct

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