The Legal and Ethical Use of Information Academic Honesty: The Legal and Ethical Use of Information Although this slide show is interactive as produced, teachers are encouraged to remove the text from some of the titled slides so that more student input can be generated. Teachers are invited to use Think-Pair-Share; round table discussions; brainstorming, etc. to encourage further student participation. Ontario School Library Association, copyright 2002 Revised by the Earl Haig SS Library October 2007

Agenda What do you already know Clarifying what we mean by academic honesty The mechanics of citation Challenges: Understanding “Works Cited” lists Paraphrasing correctly Although this slide show is interactive as produced, teachers are encouraged to remove the text from some of the titled slides so that more student input can be generated. Teachers are invited to use Think-Pair-Share; round table discussions; brainstorming, etc. to encourage further student participation.

So what’s the problem? Widespread phenomenon On the increase Academic dishonesty is an ethical issue Academic dishonesty is a legal issue Schools, colleges and universities all note an increase in the number of students who are academically dishonest. (See Bibliography for news articles on recent incidents, and look for examples from within your own school.) Ethical – falsely passing off someone else’s work as one’s own is against accepted social practice and behaviours Legal – a type of theft for which individuals may be subject to prosecution and conviction under the Canadian Copyright Act

Plagiarism in the real world Textbook plagiarism in a best seller - the case against Ann Coulter

Academic Dishonesty/ Plagiarism…it’s like... “lip-synching to someone else’s voice and accepting the applause and rewards for yourself” Owl Online Writing Lab. “Writing a Research Paper.” Purdue University. 2002 Refer to incidences that are relevant to the students e.g. Milli Vanilli, George Harrison (My Dear Lord), Napster website

What Should I Cite? You must give credit for: any ideas which are not your own any photos or images which are not your own direct quotations from a text statistics, unusual facts

What counts as plagiarism/ academic dishonesty? using an essay previously used in another course copying a friend’s homework or project using another person’s ideas as your own Copying and posting from a subscription database or Internet site This slide and the one following can be left blank if the teacher/teacher-librarian wishes to extract this information from the students through questioning and discussion The first 7 of these conditions are examples of a willful intention to plagiarize *************** The final 2 examples (on the next slide) are less blatant –and may be accidental--but are examples of plagiarism nevertheless

What counts as plagiarism /academic dishonesty? buying a paper finding an essay in a foreign language and using a program to translate it faking a citation direct quotation from a source without citation paraphrasing but not citing the source This slide and the one previous can be left blank if the teacher/teacher-librarian wishes to extract this information from the students through questioning and discussion The first 7 of these conditions are examples of a willful intention to plagiarize *************** The final 2 examples are less blatant –and may be accidental--but are examples of plagiarism nevertheless

Why do students plagiarize? They tell us…. I didn’t know I was plagiarizing I don’t really understand the concepts of academic honesty and plagiarism I didn’t think I could do a good job on my own I’m not confident that my research and writing skills are as developed as they should be …. This slide, and the following one,can be left blank if the teacher/teacher-librarian wishes to extract this information from the students through questioning and discussion: Why do people plagiarize? Lack of understanding of plagiarism Not sure what constitutes plagiarism Don’t know how to use and cite sources correctly Lack of skills Lack of research skills and appreciation of the process Inability to synthesize and organize their researched information Don’t know how to paraphrase or put things into their own words Lack of time Heavy workload - too many courses Procrastination Assignments all due at the same time Part-time jobs Family Responsibilities Pressure to perform Parents, peers, universities and colleges

Why do students plagiarize? They tell us…. I didn’t have time I have a heavy workload at school, a part-time job, responsibilities at home I was under a lot of pressure School is very competitive and I need top marks to get into college or university I thought I could get away with it Lots of other students do

Caught! Teachers know you and your writing style Teachers read widely on their subject Teachers, teacher-librarians and administrators work as a team to trace questionable information High-tech programs are available to detect plagiarism Certain features of the plagiarized essay or presentation raise red flags of suspicion among teachers. Teachers know how it is done Know that is so easy! Know about copy and paste Know when it deviates from assignment requirements Teachers know you and your writing style Teachers are familiar with your skills and writing Teachers are able to detect the inconsistency between your work and plagiarized work Teachers are content experts and read widely Teachers, teacher-librarians and administrators work as a team to trace questionable information

Busted! Consequences might be… a zero dismissal from a course suspension or expulsion legal proceedings Generally, post-secondary institutions enforce the most serious consequences possible. (Refer to Bibliography for examples)

Who gets hurt? The creator of the work Students Parents Teachers Society This slide could be left blank to elicit answers and promote discussion The creator of the work- financially and morally The livelihood of the author, producer or entertainer depends on their ability to sell their work, whether it is a book, a magazine article or a piece of music. Students Anxiety and worry about getting caught Earn a reputation as a cheater when they are caught Lose the trust of the teacher Miss the opportunity to learn something from the assignment Perpetuate the cycle of “not learning” Parents The dreaded parent-teacher interview Embarrassment Shame Disappointment Teachers Lose trust in the student Waste time in tracking down the source of the plagiarized material Society Moral fibre eventually suffers from the loss of the creation of new thinking and ideas.

Please remember... The goal of every teacher is to help you develop the skills and attitudes that will make academic dishonesty a non-issue Teachers mark “process”. They want to see a progression from the initial selection of a topic, the gathering of resources, the synthesis of information, and the creation of the final product. Teachers do not want the role of “plagiarism police” Part of education is attitudinal All assignments are meant to be skill-building

Academic Honesty: Give credit where credit is due… Acknowledge your sources of ideas and information when you write a research paper, create a poster, post a web site or do a presentation 4 p’s – papers, posters, postings, presentation

Using information in a legal and ethical way Don’t look for “short cuts”. Give yourself time Be confident in the value of your own ideas Be yourself in your writing Develop strong research and literacy skills Ask for assistance Don’t look for “short cuts”. Learning is a process with many important steps along the way – Hey, you need the practice! The journey is one you’ll take many times throughout your life Worth the effort – the grade belongs to you and you alone Give yourself time Don’t leave it to the night before when you may be tempted to plagiarize Be confident in the value of your own ideas The assignment was given to you with the purpose of having you demonstrate your learning-not someone else’s! Be yourself in your writing The teacher does not expect your writing to be that of a professor, or wordsmith. Your unacknowledged use of an author’s distinctive word or “unique phrase” often is the red flag to teachers. Remember that the only the expression of information is protected by copyright. So putting ideas or information that you have researched into your own words is not an infringement of the copyright, as long as you cite it. Developing your own personal style of writing is only done with practice. Develop strong research and literacy skills Learn a research process Learn how to cite sources Ask for assistance Teachers are there to help throughout the process. They have been there before!

What research and writing skills are needed ? Good Note-taking Linking notes to the info source Paraphrasing Knowing how and when to cite sources Review the school’s research model (or use the 4 major stages of OSLA’s Information Studies’ Inquiry and Research model

Help is there for the asking Teachers and teacher-librarians School research and essay writing guides TDSB Student Research Guide The Internet The University of Guelph Learning Commons http://www.webshops.uoguelph.ca/AcademicIntegrity/integrity.cfm OWL at Purdue University: Avoiding Plagiarism owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/REsearchW/plag.html Help is there for the asking Add examples from your own school situation – especially existing school research and essay writing guides Use the Internet for the purpose of learning how to research and how to acknowledge sources