EN101 Composition
Lesson 2 Academic Integrity
“In the academic realm, integrity is the foundation of good
scholarship. West Point is committed to the development
of lifelong habits of integrity” (DAW 1).
“Proper documentation helps delineate your role as an
author by showing what portions of any work you submit
are yours and what portion is the work of others. Proper
documentation is both a testament to academic merit and
an expression of your integrity” (DAW 1).
Purpose
In college writing, you must give credit to ideas
and words you obtain from others.
You must give credit to ideas and words you find in
texts, presentations, Websites, movies,
artworks, and other sources.
You must also give credit to ideas and words you
obtain from other cadets, instructors other than
your own, tutors, ORs, and friends and family.
References
Documentation of Academic Work, June 2011
The Little, Brown Handbook, 11th edition
MLA Documentation Model Essay
MLA Documentation Style
In EN101, you will employ MLA documentation techniques for
formatting your composition, citing sources, and compiling a
Works Cited page.
You will also incorporate several features specific to West Point.
-a Cover Page with an Acknowledgement Statement
-techniques for acknowledging assistance you may receive while
composing your essay.
The DAW and the MLA Documentation Model Essay provide
examples of all these features.
-The Little, Brown Handbook also provides sample essays and
chapters devoted to explaining how to cite sources.
Basic and Extended Proofreading
Basic proofreading: If another individual helps you correct spelling
errors, occasional grammatical mistakes, and slight stylistic flaws,
you do not have to document the assistance.
Extended proofreading: If another individual helps you alter the
style, format, organization, or substance of your essay, you have
to document the assistance. If another individual provides
extensive assistance correcting grammar errors, then you must
document the assistance. See DAW and the MLA Model Essay for
examples of how to document.
You do not have to document the use of spelling and grammar
checkers that come with your USMA-issued computer.
Common Knowledge
Common Knowledge does not have to be documented.
-Ideas offered in or out of class by your instructor.
-Ideas offered in class by other students in the class.
-Biographical information about the authors and publication data
about the essays included in the course reader (A World of Ideas).
Ideas and opinions contained in the essays included in the course
reader are not Common Knowledge and must be documented.
Ideas and opinions offered in the explanatory material of the course
reader are not Common Knowledge and must be documented.
Advice for Students
• When in doubt, DOCUMENT!
• Actively document sources and assistance received while working on
assignments, not just at the end.
• Document assistance received from CEP, tutors, mentors, friends, family,
and other or former teachers.
• Collaborate and receive assistance face-to-face instead of sending
documents for reference. If you send your document to another
student, you lose control of your intellectual property.
• Never modify a document received from another cadet; print the
document and use it as a guide.
• Complete your assignments before coming to class; do not try to put
everything together at the last minute.
• When submitting group work, each member should review all
documentation for clarity and acknowledgement. PAUSE to REFLECT.
Practices to Avoid
The following are considered “Intentional Plagiarism” under the DAW
(11) and may be considered cheating under the Cadet Honor
Code:
-Copying or downloading a phrase, a sentence, or a longer
passage from a source, and passing it off as your own by omitting
quotation marks and a source citation.
-Summarizing or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas without
acknowledging your debt in a source citation.
-Handing in your own work a paper you have bought, copied
from the Web, had a friend write, or accepted from another
student.
Examples taken from The Little, Brown Handbook, page 626.
What MLA Citation Looks Like (1)
Example One: Machiavelli writes, “A prince,
therefore, must not have any other object
nor any other thought, nor must he take
anything as his profession but war…” (39).
Example Two: Machiavelli states that a prince
“must not have any other object nor any
other thought” than the profession of arms
(39).
What MLA Citation Looks Like (2)
Machiavelli asserts that princes should devote
themselves to military study because political
success depends on military expertise (40).
As the editorial introduction to “The Qualities of
the Prince” explains, Machiavelli’s instructions
are “curiously devoid of any high-sounding
moralizing or any encouragement to be good as
a matter of principle” (Jacobus 37).
What MLA Works Cited Citations Look Like
Machiavelli, Niccolo. “The Qualities of the Prince.” A World of Ideas. Ed.
Lee A. Jacobus. Eighth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 3952. Print.
Jacobus, Lee A., ed. A World of Ideas. Eighth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2010. Print.
Smith, John CDT A-1 ’12. Assistance given to the author, verbal discussion.
CDT Smith helped me understand why Machiavelli believed that every
political leader must also be a master of military arts. CDT Smith
explained that Machiavelli thought that political leaders without military
expertise and military force at his disposal could never command respect
or obedience from followers, especially those who did possess military
might. I have incorporated these ideas into my paper. West Point, NY. 18
Oct. 2009.
Final Guidance
Use the DAW and the MLA Documentation
Model Essay as your guides
If you have questions, ask your instructor.