Academic Integrity Module

Scenario 1: Online Exam

It is your final English exam of the semester and your professor has changed it to an online open-ended, open-book exam. You have done fairly well throughout the course and are looking to make that final push for an A on this assignment. You have the book and as you’re about to start your exam in the library, Sydney your classmate asks if you’re about to take the exam.

They express that they’ve started it but weren’t quite sure which portion of the book to utilize for the third question. They ask if you would mind if they sit down at the table to see which chapters you are using to answer specific questions.

a.) Sure, since she’s only on question three, you can catch up and assure that you are both on the right track.

Option A, would be considered a violation of the Student Honor Code. Your faculty member prohibited collaborating with anyone on the exam. Although you didn’t necessarily have the same answers word for word, your faculty member expressed that the exam should be taken on your own. Specifically, the code states that collaborating with another person, through any medium, when such conduct could lead to an academic advantage of benefit, is a violation of the Honor Code. If you aren’t sure if you are permitted to collaborate on a specific assignment check in with your faculty.

b.) You would rather take the exam on your own so that you can concentrate.

If a student is believed to have cheated on an exam, the faculty member will reach out to Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution with both information supporting the allegations, and recommended sanctions. Sanctions range from an assignment grade penalty to failing the course, and would depend on the severity of the incident. Most faculty members outline these penalties in their course syllabus.

Scenario 2: A Similar Topic

a) You think about branching out and selecting a different business to get a feel for various company’s strategies.

Option A would not be considered a violation of the Student Honor Code, as long as you do not take the work that your friend did. If you are looking for another business to construct a plan on, that is okay, however taking directly from his assignment would be considered a violation under the Plagiarism policy.

b) Seeing that it is a similar page length requirement you make a few tweaks here and there, but can essentially just submit the same paper.

Option B is a violation of the Student Honor Code. Specifically, self-plagiarism, is the reuse of a student’s own submitted work, without the full and clear acknowledgement and permission of the Faculty to whom it is submitted. If you are thinking about reusing your own work, you need to have a conversation with your faculty member.

c) You talk to your Marketing professor about your past project.

Woohoo! You took the proactive step and got permission to reuse portions of past work that you created. In these types of situations it is always best to ask permission from your faculty member, or ask questions, and avoiding potential future repercussions.

What else is considered cheating in the Student Honor Code?

At the University of Florida, a student cannot use unauthorized materials or resources in any academic activity for academic advantage or benefit.

• • Using additional time, or failing to stop working when instructed, on any time-bound academic activity
• • Failing to follow the directions of a proctor of any academic activity
• • Using any materials or resources, through any medium, which the Faculty has not given express permission to use

What about plagiarism?

A student must not represent as the student’s own work all or any portion of the work of another.

• • Stealing, misquoting, insufficiently paraphrasing, or patch-writing
• • Submitting materials from any source without proper attribution
• • Submitting an assignment, document, or material that, in whole or part, is identical or substantially identical to a document or assignment the student did not author

This doesn't mean you can't include or quote other scholars or researchers into your work. Just make sure you include where you got the information from by citing.

Where do I cite?

Citing occurs in two places:

• 1. The body of the text (an in-text citation)
• 2. In a reference list at the end of your work

MLA style is most commonly used to write papers and cite sources within the liberal arts and humanities. Certain colleges and courses may require a different format so be sure to check in with your professor or college!

Take a look at the following two examples of in-text citation. Select the paragraph that you think is the best citation. The following examples are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th ed., by Joseph Gibaldi.

Correct! This is the best in-text citation example.

Sentence 1: Since you are introducing a new source, you must include the name of the source itself. This could be the name of the individual, institution, or organization.

Correct version: George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography in Internet use (92).

Sentences 2 and 4: These are your own thoughts and words and do not need citing.

Sentence 3: Here, the source itself is mentioned, but not where the information came from. Make sure a page number is included for the reference.

Correct version: George Will stated that the first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most lucrative Internet business (92).

Incorrect! This example contains certain errors.

Sentence 1: Since you are introducing a new source, you must include the name of the source itself. This could be the name of the individual, institution, or organization.

Correct version: George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography in Internet use (92).

Sentences 2 and 4: These are your own thoughts and words and do not need citing.

Sentence 3: Here, the source itself is mentioned, but not where the information came from. Make sure a page number is included for the reference.

Correct version: George Will stated that the first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most lucrative Internet business (92).

The current examples you saw were paraphrasing examples. The information was taken from a source and then summarized or condensed. In essence, paraphrasing is putting the information in your own words. However, the ideas are still not your own, and so you still cite the source.

Quoting would be directly taking the text from a given source. Using quotation marks, identifying the source and noting where the quote came from are essential. Quoting may be used in your paper, but should not make up the majority of your written work.

Here are examples of quoting your source. Select the best example.

Example A
Landry Wallburger, writing in the magazine The Alligator, wrote, there is nothing quite like Burger Mania. They offer over thirty types of specialty burgers (24).

Incorrect!Why is this wrong?

Choice A did not have quotation marks around the actual quoted statement.

Example B
Landry Wallburger, on page 24 of The Alligator, wrote, “There is nothing quite like Burger Mania. They offer over thirty types of specialty burgers.”

Incorrect! Why is this wrong?

Choice B placed the page number for the quote in the text. The page number goes in parentheses at the end of the statement.

Example C
Landry Wallburger, writing in the magazine The Alligator, wrote, “There is nothing quite like Burger Mania. They offer over thirty types of specialty burgers” (24).

Correct! Ding ding ding!

This choice include the page number, quotations, and the author who made the actual statement.

Equally important is your reference list.

Refer to the following example once again:

George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography in Internet use (92). In order to understand how this process shifted, researchers have continued to study the progress of Internet gambling. The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most lucrative Internet business (Will 92). In this paper, I will demonstrate the transition in popularity during the 1990's.

Incorrect!

Make sure you include as much information about your source as possible! For most sources, this includes:

• Author name
• Date published
• The journal/book
• The title of the work
• Appropriate page numbers or a way of locating the text (such as volume/issue for an article or magazine)

Also, make sure you categorize by last name. Some first and last names can be confusing (as with the example provided) so the reader will always know which is which if you are consistent!

Correct!

Make sure you include as much information about your source as possible! For most sources, this includes:

• Author name
• Date published
• The journal/book
• The title of the work
• Appropriate page numbers or a way of locating the text (such as volume/issue for an article or magazine)

Also, make sure you categorize by last name. Some first and last names can be confusing (as with the example provided) so the reader will always know which is which if you are consistent!

Incorrect!

Make sure you include as much information about your source as possible! For most sources, this includes:

• Author name
• Date published
• The journal/book
• The title of the work
• Appropriate page numbers or a way of locating the text (such as volume/issue for an article or magazine)

Also, make sure you categorize by last name. Some first and last names can be confusing (as with the example provided) so the reader will always know which is which if you are consistent!

Incorrect!

Make sure you include as much information about your source as possible! For most sources, this includes:

• Author name
• Date published
• The journal/book
• The title of the work
• Appropriate page numbers or a way of locating the text (such as volume/issue for an article or magazine)

Also, make sure you categorize by last name. Some first and last names can be confusing (as with the example provided) so the reader will always know which is which if you are consistent!

For more information about the topics you have read here, check out the following links:

Writing Studio:
https://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/

Read the Student Honor Code at:
http://regulations.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/4.040-1.pdf

What are other violations of the Student Honor Code?

• • Complicity in Violating the Student Honor Code – attempting, aiding, encouraging, facilitating, abetting, conspiring to commit, hiring someone else to commit, giving or receiving bribes to secure, or being a participant in any act prohibited by the Student Honor Code.
• • Submission of Academic Work Purchase or Obtained from an Outside Source.
• • Making a false or misleading statement, whether that is during the Investigation or resolution of an alleged Student Honor Code violation, or for the purpose of procuring an improper academic advantage.

You're almost done!

The final step of the module is to complete the following 10 question quiz.

NOTE: TO COMPLETE THE MODULE AND SUBMIT, YOU MUST ANSWER ALL FOLLOWING QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

Once you have successfully completed the quiz, you will be directed to read and sign the Student Honor Code. You will then be given a certificate of completion, which should be printed out for your records.