Academic Integrity
Carmen Cole
IST & Business Liaison Librarian
Penn State’s Definition of Academic Integrity:
“Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest and
responsible manner. Academic honesty is a basic guiding principle for all academic
activity at The Pennsylvania State University, and all members of the University
community are expected to act in accordance with this principle. Consistent with
this expectation, the University’s Code of Conduct states that all students should
act with personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property, and
help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the fruits
of their efforts.”
--Policy 49-20 (Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students)
A Quick Comparison:
Plagiarism:
Cheating, Copying, Stealing, Fabricating,
Misleading, Unethical, Fraudulent, Dishonest
Academic Integrity:
Open, Honest, Responsible, Respectful, Ethical,
Creative, Diligent, Successful
Some Excuses for Plagiarism
“I didn’t know!”
“I’m too busy!”
“My work isn’t good enough!”
What do you think are some solutions to
these problems?
After the TLT Plagiarism Tutorial (2014)
How Does the Library Fit Into
All of This?
Think of us as your third party
consultants…
Disclaimers:
We’re not here to bust you!
– We want you to succeed (remember that whole
ask thing? ASK! That’s what we’re here for!)
We don’t expect you to be a pro!
– But we expect to you try!
But, There Are A Few Things You
Should Be Aware Of…
• There may be consequences should you violate
academic integrity
• These consequences may range anywhere from
a disciplinary warning to receiving an “XF” on
your transcript
After the Undergraduate Advising Handbook (2016)
TurnitIn:
• Program that gauges the originality of student
work and aids in detecting plagiarism
• Used in more than 6,500 institutions, 106
countries, and 30 languages
• Over 1,500 instructors at Penn State have
accounts
Turnitin Searches:
• 45+ billion pages of digital content
• 337 million submissions to the student archive
(including PSU students)
• 130,000+ professional, academic, and
commercial journals and publications
• English and non-English content
After Dan Hickey and Turnitin FAQs (2015).
Remember:
As members of the Penn State community, we’re
going to maintain a culture of integrity, respect,
and creativity in all our academic endeavors.
It’s good to be informed, and when you act
according to the above values, you eliminate a lot
of worry from your life!
Group Discussion Questions:
• What makes you feel “trusted” or “not trusted” by
instructors?
• What are some positive messages you would
appreciate hearing from instructors about academic
honesty?
• What is your best advice that you would give
someone that is considering violating academic
integrity?
After Lisa Lenze, 2016
Is this a violation of academic
integrity? Why or why not?
Carlos turned in his final 10-page report for his
class. Upon evaluation, the instructor found that a
total of 5% of Carlos’ entire report was copied
from a website, word-for-word.
Adapted from: Chen, Ying; Giacobe, Nick; Kim, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Jungyoon. (2009). What would you do?
Unpublished class presentation for IST 602: Supervised Experience in College Teaching. Penn State
University.
Is this a violation of academic
integrity? Why or why not?
Sue completed an essay for a homework
assignment. Her paragraphs appeared to be
paraphrased from her sources. She provided a
bibliography in which she listed all the source
material that she used.
Adapted from: Chen, Ying; Giacobe, Nick; Kim, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Jungyoon. (2009). What would you do?
Unpublished class presentation for IST 602: Supervised Experience in College Teaching. Penn State
University.
Is this a violation of academic
integrity? Why or why not?
The instructions for Maisha and Bill’s homework
assignment stated that students could discuss the
homework together before turning in individual work.
In the documents that the two submitted, the
instructor found 3 out of the 10 same responses.
Adapted from: Chen, Ying; Giacobe, Nick; Kim, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Jungyoon. (2009). What would you do?
Unpublished class presentation for IST 602: Supervised Experience in College Teaching. Penn State
University.
Is this a violation of academic
integrity? Why or why not?
Last semester, Rajni took an IST course for which
she had to write up several lab reports. This
semester, for a different IST course, she uses the
exact same material from one of the lab reports she
wrote last semester to complete one of her current
assignments.
Adapted from: ITS Training Services. (2014, November 4). Academic Integrity Case Studies. Penn State
University.
Is this a violation of academic
integrity? Why or why not?
Lee takes a mid-term in an early morning section of a
course. Lee’s friend Greg is taking the same course, but
is enrolled in the late afternoon section. Knowing Lee
has already taken the mid-term, Greg, who hasn’t
studied for the exam, asks Lee to help him out. Lee tells
Greg which sections of the textbook to pay close
attention to, but does not give him specific answers.
Best Practices:
• ASK!
• Go with your gut
*Remember, there’s no “definitive list!”
• Have your own back
A Few Library Resources:
• Citation and Writing Guides
• Research Project Calculator
• ASK A Librarian
• Carmen!
Academic Integrity at Penn State
“Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open,
honest and responsible manner. Academic honesty is a basic guiding
principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University,
and all members of the University community are expected to act in
accordance with this principle. Consistent with this expectation, the
University’s Code of Conduct states that all students should act with
personal integrity, respect other students’ dignity, rights and property,
and help create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed
through the fruits of their efforts.”
--Policy 49-20 (Policies and Rules for Undergraduate Students)
Email me with any questions or to set
up a research consultation
appointment!
Carmen Cole
ccc143@psu.edu