ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT
CRITICAL THINKING AND
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Created by Cheryl Torok Fleming, Ph.D.
and Amy Lorson, MLS
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TOPICS FOR THIS WORKSHOP
Background Information
oWhat do students think?
oWhat studies have been done?
oIn the news
Defining academic dishonesty
Faculty strategies for prevention
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Plagiarism? I’ve been hearing about that
since I was in preschool! Of course it’s
wrong-- but I can only get in trouble for it if
I get caught!
Right?
STUDENTS UNDERSTAND CHEATING, BUT
THEY DO IT ANYWAY.

"Students generally understand what constitutes
cheating, but they do it anyway," said Kenneth
Kiewra, professor of educational psychology at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and one of the study's
authors. "They cheat on tests, homework assignments
and when writing reports. In some cases, though,
students simply don't grasp that some dishonest acts
are cheating” (para. 3).
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2010, May 12). Most high schoolers cheat -- but don't always see it as
cheating, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511173829.htm
RESULTS:
“Sixty-two percent said doing individual take-home
tests with a partner was cheating (51 percent said
they'd done so);
 Just 23 percent said doing individual homework
with a partner was dishonest (91 percent had done
so); and
 Only 39 percent said writing a report based on the
movie instead of reading the book wasn't cheating
(53 percent had done so)” (para. 10).

University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2010, May 12). Most high schoolers cheat -- but don't always see it as
cheating, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511173829.htm
DEFINITIONS
According to Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, to
plagiarize means:
“to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as
one’s own : using a created production without
crediting the source : to commit literary theft : to
present as new and original an idea or product derived
from an existing source.”
Plagiarize. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarizing
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY OCCURS AT
ALL UNIVERSITIES.
 Examples
of “copy/paste” plagiarism:
Direct copying of text from a book.
 Direct copying of online articles from library
databases (magazines, journals, newspapers,
etc.) and internet web sites.
 Importing graphics into papers or
PowerPoint presentations.

STUDENT THINKING…
 It
is easy to buy a paper from online “paper
mills.” Just have a credit card handy!
 It is easy to borrow something from someone
else, even if it is rephrased, and submit it as
your own work.
 Piece together a variety of sources and pass it
off as your own writing.
 When life gets so busy, just use a paper from a
previous course.
IN THE

NEWS!
The article When the Hero Takes a Fall (Rosenblatt,
2002) highlights a well documented account of
plagiarism as found in the book Citizen Soldiers
(1997) by Stephen Ambrose. Mr. Ambrose plagiarized
from the book Beyond the Beachhead (1989) by
Joseph Balkoski.
Rosenblatt, R. (2002). When the hero takes a fall. Time, 159(3),
130. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time
HOW DO THEY DO IT?



“Thesaurus paraphrasing”, changing many of the
words, but not the main thought, concept, etc., of
the author.
Taking something on the same topic that was
written by someone else and passing it off as your
own.
Directly quoting without changing any of the
words, but giving no credit to the writer.
ACTIONS THAT MIGHT BE SEEN AS
PLAGIARISM
buying, stealing or borrowing a paper
 using the source too closely when paraphrasing
 hiring someone to write one’s paper
 building on someone’s ideas without citation
From: Purdue University Online Writing Lab
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FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STUDENT
INTEGRITY
grade pressure
 tuition reimbursement
 time pressure
 task pressure
From: Love, P., & Simmons, J. (1998). Factors influencing cheating and plagiarism among graduate students
in a college of education. College Student Journal, 32(4), 539+. Retrieved October 1, 2003 from EBSCOHost
Academic Search Premier database.
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UNDERSTANDING THE LEVELS OF
PLAGIARISM
Ignorance
 of student handbook information
 of syllabus content
 Sloppy citation
 unfamiliarity with specific format (APA)
 omission of quotation marks identifying direct citation
 failure to recognize need for citation
From: Hope International University Fall Faculty Meeting, August 2003
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UNDERSTANDING THE LEVELS OF
PLAGIARISM
Deliberate
 use of ideas without citations
 direct quotations without citations
 fabrication of citations and references
 submission of someone else’s paper as original work
 submission of work completed for a previous assignment
 outright purchase of an entire document submitted as original
work
From: Hope International University Fall Faculty Meeting, August 2003
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STUDENTS NEED TO DOCUMENT
When using or referring to somebody else’s words or ideas from:
 magazines
 books
 newspapers
 songs
 television programs
 letters
 advertisements, or any other mediums
From: Purdue University Online Writing Lab
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STUDENTS NEED TO DOCUMENT
When using information gained through interviewing another person
 When copying the exact words or a “unique phrase” from somewhere
When reprinting any diagrams, illustrations, charts, and pictures
 When using ideas that others have provided through conversations or
in e-mail
From: Purdue University Online Writing Lab
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STUDENTS
DO NOT NEED TO
DOCUMENT.
..
When writing about one’s own:
 experiences
 observations
experimental results
 insights
 thoughts
 conclusions about a subject
 When using “common knowledge”— folklore, common sense
observations, shared information within field of study or cultural group
From: Purdue University Online Writing Lab
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APA: HOW IN-TEXT CITATIONS AND
REFERENCES PAGE WORK TOGETHER

In-text citations
He said, “Her favorite color is blue. I will purchase a sapphire
ring for her birthday” (Smith, 2008, p.36).
She was happy that he remembered how much she loved
jewelry (Jones, 2007).

References Page
Jones, E. (2007, September 12). Sapphires are a girl’s
bestfriend. Newsweek, 84-92. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com
Smith, R. (2008). For the love of gemstones. New York: RandMcNally Publishing.
PLAGIARISM CLUES
 The student states information that is not considered general
knowledge
 The style is significantly more sophisticated or scholarly than
previous submissions
 The format is different than that required by the instructor
 The paper lacks logical flow or some sentences seem out of place
From: Apollo Corporate University, Center for Academic Quality.
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FACULTY STRATEGIES
 require research projects to focus on specific topics
 clearly define your research expectations
 minimum number of citations and sources
 individual or collaborative assignment
 assignment is unique to the course
 Require an annotated bibliography
 Require up-to-date references
 Ask for copies of sources
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From: Harris, R. (2004, November 17). Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. VirtualSalt. Retrieved
May 10, 2006, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
FACULTY STRATEGIES
 Break the assignment into pieces
 may deter the student from simply downloading the assignment
 Require process steps: students hand in assignments in stages…
 topic
 bibliography
 research material
 outline
 rough draft
 final version
From: Harris, R. (2001). The plagiarism handbook. Portland, OR: Pyrczak Publishing.
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FACULTY STRATEGIES
 Ask students to submit bibliography prior to rough draft
 Require students to use personal content or personal application
 Create specific application assignments requiring students to address
how research topic fits into their work setting
From: Hope International University Fall Faculty Meeting, August 2003
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PREVENTION
How else can faculty members encourage student
honesty?
 Require oral reports of student papers
 Following student submission of completed assignment, require an
in-class, one-page essay summarizing what has been learned from
writing the paper.
 Compare suspect assignment with other writings from same student.
From: Harris, R. (2004, November 17). Anti-plagiarism strategies for research papers. VirtualSalt. Retrieved
May 10, 2006, from http://www.virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm
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ENCOURAGING CRITICAL THINKING
AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Encourage as much original writing as possible.
 When using other sources, be sure to cite them in-text.

Quotations
 Paraphrasing


Include complete bibliographic information on the
References page.
IN CONCLUSION. . .
Plagiarism = “kidnapping words”.
 Use the works of others (words, ideas, facts, statistics,
graphics) only with proper citation.
 Avoid using an entire paper or article that is not one’s
own writing.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY?


“…He that pours out lies will not go free.” (Proverbs
19:5, NIV)
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but
hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. Wealth created by a
lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.”
(Proverbs 21:5-6, NLT).
REFERENCES
Plagiarize. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved
October 9, 2008, from
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/plagiarizing
Rosenblatt, R. (2002). When the hero takes a fall. Time, 159(3), 130.
Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2010, May 12). Most high schoolers
cheat -- but don't always see it as cheating, study finds.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100511173829.htm
QUESTIONS?
Thanks, and Good-bye!
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