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Quiz

Academic integrity terms

Lecturers use particular terms to talk about academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism.  How familiar are you with academic integrity terms? 

Choose the correct label to match the definition:

1.  This is when you acknowledge that the work was done by someone else, or was the result of something that someone else did.

Common knowledge

Think again. Common knowledge refers to facts or ideas that can be found in several places and are likely to be known by a broad range of people. When you are new to a subject it can take a while before you can work out what is common knowledge, that is, what are the basic principles in that subject. These principles will be familiar to people who have studied the subject for a long time. You are not expected to reference common knowledge.

Attribution

Well done. This is correct. Common knowledge refers to facts or ideas that can be found in several places and are likely to be known by a broad range of people. When you are new to a subject it can take a while before you can work out what is common knowledge, that is, what are the basic principles in that subject. These principles will be familiar to people who have studied the subject for a long time. You are not expected to reference common knowledge.

 

2.  This occurs if you re-submit work you have previously done for assessment. The Academic Integrity Procedures (2012, p. 5) state that students must ‘not submit their own academic work for assessment when it has already been submitted for assessment at another time (including at another institution), without the express permission of the academic staff member who will assess it.’

Original work/own work

Incorrect; being original means commenting on what you are learning and you have read. This can involve choosing, analysing, summarising and interpreting the different ideas of others, and then developing arguments and drawing conclusions about these ideas. It does NOT mean that you must create something that has never been thought of before.

Self-plagiarism

Correct; being original means commenting on what you are learning and you have read. This can involve choosing, analysing, summarising and interpreting the different ideas of others, and then developing arguments and drawing conclusions about these ideas. It does NOT mean that you must create something that has never been thought of before.

 

3.  This is using the exact words of an original author in written work. The words should be placed in quotation marks and be accompanied by a reference (thus giving acknowledgment to the work of the original author). To quote indirectly is to paraphrase.

A Quotation / quote

Well done. This is correct. To acknowledge or attribute is to give recognition to an original author/creator for their ideas or terms. In academic writing we do this by providing a reference or citation.

Acknowledgment

Try again. To acknowledge or attribute is to give recognition to an original author/creator for their ideas or terms. In academic writing we do this by providing a reference or citation.

 

4.  This is working together, for example, when you discuss assignments with other students and lecturers, discuss approaches to start an assignment, and help each other by finding readings and discussing these.

Collusion

Incorrect; you must write the assignment separately, unless it is a group assessment. Collusion is a form of cheating which happens when students work together in a deceitful way to produce work which is going to be assessed as individual work.

Collaboration

Correct; you must write the assignment separately, unless it is a group assessment. Collusion is a form of cheating which happens when students work together in a deceitful way to produce work which is going to be assessed as individual work.

 

5.  The Academic Integrity Policy (2012, p. 2) says it is ‘to take and use another person’s ideas and to fail to give appropriate acknowledgement. This includes material from any source, including other staff or students, the Internet, published and un-published works’.

Academic Integrity

Try again. Academic integrity means being honest in academic work. To find out more go to the Academic Integrity Site http://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/academic-integrity.

Plagiarism

Well done. This is correct. Academic integrity means being honest in academic work. To find out more go to the Academic Integrity Site http://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/academic-integrity.

 

Are they in trouble?

Consider the following situations: are the students likely to be in trouble?  Have they done the wrong thing?  When you decide on your answer, think about what you would do in the same situation.

Sally

Tomorrow her assignment is due, and one of her classmates has asked for help. Sally is kind and likes to help people so she shares her work. She hopes the other student won’t copy her work, word for word.

Reveal answer

Sally is in trouble. The Academic Integrity Procedures (2012, p. 5) say that students must “not knowingly or carelessly make their work available to other students” to copy. This is enabling someone to cheat, for which there are penalties.

If Sally’s classmate copies Sally’s work she is cheating, and she will be in trouble.
 

Sue and Jason

Sue is good at maths so helps Jason, who has been struggling with calculations in one of his subjects. Jason writes well so writes an essay which they can both submit. Sue is pleased with this and contributes by checking that the references are correct. With over 2000 students in this subject, Sue and Jason know that the lecturers won’t be checking all the essays.

Reveal answer

Sue is in trouble. Submitting the same essay is a form of cheating; in this case it is collusion. Jason is in trouble. Submitting the same essay is a form of cheating; in this case it is collusion.

 

Hari

Without his mates, Hari would be alone at uni. They grew up together. Now his mates have asked him to share his work so they can copy it. Hari has agreed to show his friends how to do the work but he won’t hand over his assignment.

Reveal answer

If Hari doesn’t do the work for his mates, but instead shows them how to work out their problems, he won’t be in trouble. He could tell them about the Peer Learning Advisors (PLAs) in the library.

If Hari gives his mates the answers and lets them copy his work, he is in trouble. Hari’s mates won’t be in trouble if they learn from Hari how to do the work. Hari’s mates will be in trouble if they copy Hari’s work and pretend it is their own.

 

Cathy

“It’s so good! I have to write a reflection on my contribution to the team activity, and I can just hand in the reflection I wrote last year for another subject”. This is good luck for Cathy, or has she got it wrong?

Reveal answer
Cathy is in trouble. Re-submitting work is a form of self-plagiarism. The Academic Integrity Procedures (2012, p. 5) say that students must ‘not submit their own academic work for assessment when it has already been submitted for assessment at another time…’