ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Tools and Resources
Reference librarians, writing and learning consultants, the academic integrity coordinator, faculty and staff—we are here to help instructors and students alike prepare for responsible academic scholarship. Ask questions, get advice and take advantage of tools and resources across campus.
Academic Integrity Office
The Academic Integrity Coordinator answers questions and gives advice about all aspects of restorative resolutions and academic integrity—and at any stage of the process. Instructors can invite the coordinator to make a presentation to their classes or at a department meeting. Students can invite the coordinator to speak to a study group. In-person presentations are an effective way of clarifying expectations, preventing plagiarism and helping students and faculty appreciate the importance of creating a culture of integrity on campus.
Check out these resources developed by the Academic Integrity Office.
Student resources
Plagiarism is the use and submission of another’s words, ideas, results, work or processes without providing appropriate credit to the individual(s) responsible. This can be done intentionally, but is very often unintentional due to a lack of skill and knowledge related to proper citation.
The Academic Integrity policy states that plagiarism is one form of academic misconduct, and it can result in a range of penalties and sanctions.
What constitutes plagiarism?
Plagiarism is often misunderstood. It is not only the act of copying text word-for-word; plagiarism also occurs when:
- A student hands in work done wholly or in part by another person
- Portions of a submitted work are taken from another source without proper reference to that source
- A student paraphrases sections of another work without acknowledging the source
- Ideas in a work are borrowed, derived or developed from another source without reference to that source (for example, "checking a few internet sites for ideas")
How to avoid plagiarism
The simplest way to avoid plagiarism is to reference any sources properly (using both in-text, parenthetical citations in the body of your assignment and a "Works Cited" or "References" page at the end).
While it is commonplace in academia to build upon the knowledge of others, it is necessary to clearly state the sources and foundations of that knowledge. Referencing must conform to an accepted system of documentation (such as MLA or APA style).
Penalties and sanctions for plagiarism
Depending on severity, plagiarized work may receive a mark of zero. All instances of plagiarism, intentional or not, are recorded by the Academic Integrity Office. Repeat instances of plagiarism will result in additional sanctions, such as a grade reduction up to a grade of F in a course, a transcript notation indicating "academic discipline" or expulsion from the university.
If you have any questions about plagiarism, please consult your instructor, a reference librarian or the Office of Academic Integrity.
Each instructor has expectations regarding the amount and kind of collaboration permitted for an assignment. There are many different degrees of collaboration. For instance, you may be:
- Expected to complete an assignment independently
- Asked to complete an experiment (lab) with a partner but write individual reports on the results
- Asked to submit one assignment on behalf of a group, with the same mark assigned to all students
- Required to participate in some other form of group work outlined by the instructor
- Permitted or not permitted to receive feedback on your work, have it proofread or copy edited by a peer, tutor or anyone else. This usually depends on what is being assessed.
The instructor is responsible for clearly stating expectations for each assignment. Within the same course, there may be several assignments, each with different expectations regarding collaboration. Or instructors in different classes may have different expectations for similar assignments. If you have any questions, please ask your instructor(s) for clarification.
Serious problems can occur when students do not follow instructions regarding collaboration. This is called “improper collaboration” or “inappropriate collaboration” and is a form of academic misconduct.
When an instructor requires you to work alone on an assignment or limits the amount of collaboration you can do, this is done for a specific purpose and is part of the learning process. Unless you are specifically told to work in a group or with a partner, assume any assignment is to be done individually.
As you work to complete an assignment or exam (or any type of learning assessment given to you by your Instructor) apply these four ethical tests:
Gut feeling: Do you feel, in your gut, that the action you are about to do is an ethical one?
Values test: Would honesty, respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, and/or fairness be upheld by your action?
Standards test: Would the action in the situation uphold the Student Academic Integrity Policy or the integrity standards described on this website?
Exposure test: Would you be okay if your action was exposed to the instructor, your parent(s), or the Academic Integrity Office?
If the answer to any of these questions is "NO," then it might be an unethical choice and you should reconsider engaging in it.
Source: University of San Diego (4 ways to tell right from wrong)
Faculty resources
Honesty pledges or personal accountability statements are an effective way to minimize academic misconduct. Accountability statements that address both values and rule compliance have been shown to be most effective.
Here is a sample (shared by the School of Business):
“You can use your class materials but you are not allowed to work with anyone in any manner in answering the questions on this exam. You are not allowed to disclose any aspect of this exam to any other person. Any action that constitutes an academic offence as described in university policy will be penalized. See the course syllabus for details. By starting this exam you are agreeing to the policies of this course, and those of the university, with respect to academic dishonesty. You are committing to uphold your personal and professional integrity, as well as the integrity of your instructor’s materials.”
And here is one shared by Randy Mewhort:
Student academic work undertaken at MacEwan University, individually and collectively:
- Will adhere to the scholarly and intellectual standards of accurate attribution of sources, appropriate collection and use of data, and transparent acknowledgement of the contribution of others to their ideas, discoveries, interpretations, and conclusions (= scientific integrity among others).
- Will not be the product of cheating on exams or problem sets, plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or language of someone else as one’s own, falsification of data, or any other instance of academic misconduct such as giving or receiving aid in examinations.
- Will not involve giving or receiving unpermitted aid in class work, in the preparation of written work, or in any other work that is to be used by the Instructor as the basis of grading.
Students will do their share to uphold the responsibilities for academic integrity and take an active part in seeing to it that others uphold those responsibilities.
Instructors will work to provide fair and just examinations and written work to evaluate students and will take usual and reasonable precautions to prevent the forms of misconduct mentioned above. Instructors will also avoid, as far as practicable, academic procedures that create temptations to violate academic integrity. MacEwan Instructors have a contractual obligation to formally address all suspected cases of academic misconduct. Consequences can range from a warning letter, to failing grade in the course, all the way to expulsion from the University.
While University alone has the right and obligation to set academic requirements, students and Instructors will work together to establish optimal conditions for morally and academically responsible work. It is our goal to work together to have representative work submitted by you as a student that is evaluated in a fair, meaningful, and consistent way by your Instructors.
These resources can teach you how to identify and prevent contract cheating.
Note: you may be prompted to log in to the MacEwan environment before seeing these videos.
Research-Based Strategies that Reduce Contract Cheating and Maximize Learning
Detecting and Responding to Contract Cheating in Assignments
Exam Settings in Blackboard that Help Prevent Contract Cheating
These two International Center for Academic Integrity webinars can answer your questions about e-proctoring.
While converting an in-class course to an online course should be done carefully and thoughtfully, we don't always have the luxury of time. Here are some ideas to consider when having to move online quickly.
While take-home exams appear to lend themselves more easily to cheating, that does not have to be the case. There are pedagogical best practices for assigning take-home exams that reduce the opportunity for academic misconduct.
Restorative practices
MacEwan University uses restorative practices in its academic and non-academic misconduct resolution procedures. Restorative practices effectively prevent conflict and misconduct by fostering a sense of trust and community, empowering marginalized individuals and communities (Cassell, 2013), pursuing and demonstrating fairness, and fostering empathy, compassion, and accountability (Kehoe et al., 2018; Winslade, 2018).
For more information consult the information below or contact the Office of Student Conduct, Community Standards and Values.
MacEwan Library
MacEwan University’s library is a key source of information for students as they begin a research project, find and evaluate information and learn properly cite sources. Research librarians can help students at various stages of the research process, and the library website contains useful information on various aspects or research and citation.
Writing and Learning Services at the Writing Centre
Writing and learning consultants can teach students how to write for an academic audience and maintain academic integrity in writing projects, such as essays, research papers, letters and reports. Students learn to avoid plagiarism and to properly use APA, ASA, MLA and Chicago documentation styles to cite information correctly. The Writing Centre also provides tips for note taking, time management and writing exams. Services are provided at no cost.
Centre for Teaching and Learning
The Centre for Teaching and Learning promotes collaboration and enhances the educational experience for both faculty and students. The centre is designed to support all forms of professional development in the areas of curriculum development and design, faculty development and evaluation, educational technology and research.
Online tutorials
Tutorials are available if you’d like to learn more about academic integrity or proper citation in your academic work using APA or MLA style. To access the tutorials, follow these steps:
- Log into paskwâwi-mostos mêskanâs via the MacEwan Portal
- On your mêskanâs Dashboard, click "Site Home" on the left-hand side menu.
- Scroll down and click to expand the "Student Resources" category.
- Click on the title of the course you would like to enroll in, and on the next page, click on the button "Enrol Me."
Upon completion, follow the instructions to receive a Certificate of Completion. Save this certificate as a pdf or jpeg, as proof of completion.
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