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Ed.D: Leadership

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is expected of all students at Trevecca Nazarene University. It is an integral part of the educational process where learning takes place in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Each student is responsible to maintain high standards of academic ethics, personal honesty, and moral integrity. Dishonest academic behavior will be dealt with fairly and firmly.

(Trevecca University Catalog, https://www.trevecca.edu/academics/academic-catalog)

There are many types of plagiarism that can influence research and writing in an academic setting. Look carefully at the chart below to gain a better understanding.

 

Recognizing plagiarism is the first step to ensuring academic honesty. 

Six Ways to Avoid Plagiarism in Research Papers by Yateendra Joshi

The summary below comes from Joshi's (2021) post. Click the link in the citation to read more. 

Citation: Joshi, Y. (2021, August 6).  Six ways to avoid plagiarism in research papers. editage insights. https://www.editage.com/insights/six-ways-to-avoid-plagiarism-in-research-papers

1. Allow ample time for writing and revision

The most common reason why many academics resort to plagiarism is that it is quicker to copy and paste than to generate fresh text. 

2. Use quotation marks and give the source

Perhaps the easiest way to avoid plagiarism is to make it clear that a quoted block of text is not what you wrote but is a direct quotation. Make sure that the extract is reproduced exactly, word for word. Also, check that the original punctuation, italics, if any, and spelling are retained.

3. Paraphrase the original text in your words and cite the source.

Remember that rephrasing somebody else’s idea with proper attribution is not plagiarism; however, you need to express the idea in your words. Do not keep the original in front of you as you write because it will make it difficult for you to think of alternative words and alternative ways of constructing sentences. Remember to properly cite the source.

4. Read widely on many topics and read good writers.  

Read publications written by authors known for the quality of their writing, which will help you absorb a variety of sentence constructions; that variety and a richer vocabulary will help you paraphrase easily and effectively. 

5. Record the bibliographic details of sources accurately.

Citing a source is a simple way to avoid plagiarism, but you must have the correct details of each source that you cite. Always cross-check all the citations and references.

6. Conduct a plagiarism check on your manuscript. 

Use a plagiarism checker tool (see tab above). These will help you determine if your manuscript has any sections that will be considered plagiarized and thus take appropriate and timely action.