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o Undergraduate students often have not had extensive experience using effective research skills. They have not had enough practice utilizing the library catalogue, searching online databases, or using other research resources. o Students with little research experience may have difficulties writing research papers across the curriculum, with the various disciplines requiring different research skills and resources. o Because of the lack of research skills, Students may become frustrated with the process of writing a research paper and intentionally plagiarize, or students may unintentionally plagiarize because do not know how to organize the research. o Faculty members can help students by: discussing and practicing research skills in class. introducing the students to the research resources of their particular discipline. referring students to the UAH library, which offers services to help them learn to use the UAH library catalogue and resources.
Students often do not understand what constitutes common knowledge and sometimes will fail to cite information because they misread that source as common knowledge. Often, students believe information on the Internet is common knowledge because it is in a public domain (Why Students Plagiarize).
o Confusion over terminology can cause students to feel anxiety towards writing assignments, which can lead to plagiarism. o Faculty members can help students by: clearly defining these terms for students. giving students the opportunity to practice paraphrasing and quoting sources, as well as properly citing those sources. showing students examples of common knowledge and examples of sources that must be cited. referring students to the Terminology (need a link here) section of this web site.
Pressure
o Students often experience outside pressure from their friends, family, along with the pressure that they put on themselves, to do well academically. o Some students have academic or athletic scholarships that require them to maintain a certain grade point average, or they are trying to get into graduate schools that require high grade point averages. o There is pressure from faculty and other members of the UAH community for students to do well. o Students often translate this pressure into an emphasis on getting good grades, rather than an emphasis on learning. o Students sometimes feel that they must do anything in their power to make good grades. This focus on grades instead of learning can lead students to engage in dishonest behaviors, such as plagiarism. o Faculty members can help students by:
taking the initiative to downplay the importance of grades and highlight the value of an education and becoming a life-long learner. explaining that good grades will result from active, focused and honest learning.
breaking the writing assignment into steps. Allowing students to go through the process of writing, which enables the students and faculty to meet with one another to discuss their progress, and these conferences could give faculty the opportunity to address any concerns.
Cultural factors
o UAH fortunately has a diverse population of students, with students coming here from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. o Some students may come from cultures that do not consider language or knowledge to be ones property. For instance, in many Asian cultures, it is common and expected for individuals to copy someone elses words, for it is considered flattery (Why Students Plagiarize). o Because of cultural differences, students may unintentionally plagiarize. o Faculty members can help students by: taking the time to understand differing views on plagiarism. clarifying the importance of academic honesty and avoiding plagiarism at UAH and in the United States.
o Students often are confused by the terminology associated with writing and research. o Clarify concepts of citations, quotations, paraphrases, and common knowledge. o Students are often confused about assignments, because they contain vague terms such as analyze and discuss. o Clarify assignments and key terms for students so that they will know exactly what is expected of them and feel more confident in their research paper writing abilities.
o Some of the core principles of academic integrity are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility, which create an atmosphere of respect and responsibility in the academic community. o Model academic integrity for students.
o Refer students to the UAH Student Handbook, which includes the Code of Student Conduct, and explain which parts apply to that particular course and faculty members expectations. Clearly point out what constitutes plagiarism and the consequences associated with plagiarism.
o Let the students choose their topics, so that they will be interested in what they are writing about, and maybe be willing to put more effort towards the project (Malehorn 107). o Develop research paper topics that require students to apply the concepts that they are writing about, so that they have to integrate the research into their own knowledge and experiences (Hinchliffe 1). In addition, it would be more difficult for a student to find a paper from a paper mill that has the application component.
and got the sources, whereas a bibliography just lists the sources.
Course syllabi
o At the beginning of the semester, take the time to go over the syllabus and discuss the faculty and university expectations, including their expectation for academic honesty.
o Include a statement on academic dishonesty in the syllabi or a link to the UAH Student Handbook.