Understanding Academic Integrity

• Definition: Academic integrity involves honesty in citing sources and acknowledging the origins of ideas in your writing.
  • Essential to show from where information is derived.
  • Includes acknowledging collaborative efforts and maintaining proof of sources.

Plagiarism

• Definition: Plagiarism is taking credit for others' work or ideas without proper attribution.
• Evolving landscape with AI usage and the potential for unintentional plagiarism through co-authored works.
• Importance of understanding intellectual property: the expression of ideas in others' works that inform your own claims.

What Does Not Need to be Cited

1. Common Knowledge: Information known widely among your intended audience.
   • Example: Concepts or facts taught in your class or campus-specific trends.
2. Facts from Various Sources: Information that can easily be verified across numerous references.
3. Your Own Findings: Any original research findings, observations, and data collected through surveys or interviews do not require citation.

What Needs to be Cited

• Direct Quotations: Any text directly borrowed from another source must be credited.
• Summaries/Paraphrases: Restating others’ ideas in your own words still requires citation.
• Unique Facts: Information not commonly known or widely accepted that can be disputed.
• Images and Illustrations: Visual content sourced from others must be properly credited regardless of its format.

Careless Cases of Plagiarism

1. Unclear Attribution: Failing to indicate the source of an idea.
2. Poor Paraphrasing: Changing a few words instead of thoroughly rephrasing an idea.
3. Omitting Parenthetical Citations: Even with quotation marks, failing to provide the source in-text kills credibility.

Image Use and Permissions

• Be cautious about using online images. Most are not under Creative Commons and require permission for use.
• Images that are under Creative Commons do not need additional acknowledgment or payment.

Posting Work Online

• If using assignments or primary research on an online portfolio, ensure you have permission from any participants, especially those from vulnerable populations, before publishing their information publicly.

Differences Between Citation Styles: MLA vs. APA

• Purpose: Different fields have specific citation styles (MLA for humanities; APA for sciences). Each focuses on aspects relevant to its discipline.
  • MLA: Last name, first name for authors, less recent source emphasis.
  • APA: Last name followed by initials, emphasizes the publication year for relevancy.

Specific Guidelines for APA Style

1. Use of Point of View: First person is acceptable in research discussions.
2. Terminology: Prefer terms like "participants" over "subjects" to maintain clarity and respect.
3. Reference Year: Always list the year of publication; do not provide page numbers for summaries but give them for direct quotes.

Specific Guidelines for MLA Style

• Citing Name: First mention in-text should include author's name; subsequent mentions may refer to page numbers only.
• Unattributed Digital Sources: Use the organization as the author when citing without a specific individual as the source.

Additional Tips for Citation Use

• Pay attention to formatting for Google Docs: adjust formats correctly for citations to aid clarity in works cited pages.
• Utilize resources available in your textbooks and online to assist with proper citation format and examples.

Research and Sources

• Peer-reviewed sources are accessible through the library and are essential for academic work. Familiarize yourself with these to enhance your academic integrity while conducting research.