Consider The Following Situations: Choose Two Situations And

Consider The Following Situations Choose Two Situations And Decide Wh

Consider the following situations. Choose TWO situations and decide whether or not an academic integrity violation has occurred. Indicate a “yes” or “no” if the situation constitutes a case of plagiarism. You should also include some strategies on how to avoid the particular situation.

You are working on a computer lab at a public work station. You finish your work, save it on the desktop. Another student in your class comes along, finds your file and turns it in as her own. Are you guilty of academic dishonesty?

Jane is taking ENG 101 and MAT 101. Jane is stressed to complete her Module 5 English Case assignment. She spends hours researching her topic of interest and locates several journal articles to help her prepare for the essay. Since she is trying to submit her math assignments as well and has limited time, she decides to incorporate different sections of the journal articles into some of her written work without using citations. She also paraphrases some of the sources used but fails to appropriately cite the information.

Your Math professor allows collaboration on homework assignments and encourages study groups but still expects you to submit your own work. You and two friends discuss the problem and work through it together. Portions of your final work are identical, but that should be okay, since most of the work is your own.

Paper For Above instruction

The examination of the situations presented highlights critical issues regarding academic integrity and the potential for unintentional and intentional violations of ethical standards in academic settings. Analyzing each scenario reveals key strategies to prevent misconduct and emphasizes the importance of understanding institutional policies on academic honesty.

Scenario 1: Saving Work at a Public Work Station

In the first scenario, a student working at a public computer lab saves their work on the desktop. Subsequently, another student finds the file and submits it as her own. This situation is complex because it involves the original creator’s rights and the ethical responsibility of both students. From an academic integrity perspective, the primary concern is whether the student who submitted the file was aware that it belonged to someone else and whether they intentionally claimed it as their own. If the second student was unaware and simply used the file found at the station without realizing its origin, this could be viewed as negligence rather than misconduct. However, if the second student knowingly submitted someone else's work, this constitutes plagiarism, an explicit violation of academic honesty policies.

Furthermore, the initial student inadvertently facilitated the potential misconduct by saving work on a public computer with no safeguards to prevent unauthorized access. This situation underscores the importance of students taking proactive steps to secure their work, such as saving files to personal drives or using password protection where appropriate. Institutional strategies to avoid such issues include clear instructions on saving files securely, avoiding the use of public shareable desktops for sensitive work, and raising awareness about the importance of protecting digital work from unauthorized access.

In conclusion, if the second student knowingly submitted someone else's work, it is a clear case of plagiarism. The first student is not guilty unless they intentionally misled or encouraged others to misuse their work. To prevent such situations, students should avoid leaving personal work on public computers and always delete or secure files after use.

Scenario 2: Incorporating Uncited Sources into Assignments

The second scenario involves a student, Jane, who is under stress and spends extensive time researching journal articles for her English essay. She copies sections of these articles into her work and paraphrases some information without proper citation, thereby failing to acknowledge the original sources. This constitutes plagiarism because it involves presenting someone else's intellectual property as one's own, either verbatim or paraphrased, without appropriate attribution.

Academic integrity policies universally emphasize the importance of citing sources accurately to give credit to original authors and enable readers to verify information. Failure to cite sources, whether by direct copying or paraphrasing, violates these principles and can lead to academic penalties. Jane's behavior, although possibly driven by time constraints and stress, reflects a lack of understanding or disregard for citation protocols. Proper education on citation methods, such as APA or MLA styles, can help students avoid unintentional plagiarism.

To prevent such situations, students should be encouraged to keep meticulous records of sources during research, paraphrase appropriately, and utilize citation management tools. Educators can reinforce the importance of academic honesty by offering tutorials on citation and plagiarism, clarifying institution policies, and fostering a culture that values original work and proper attribution.

Analysis of the Other Two Scenarios

The third scenario involves collaboration on math homework. Despite the instructor's encouragement to work together, the expectation remains that students will submit their own work. When two students work through problems together, leading to identical portions in their submissions, this could be a case of collaboration exceeding authorized boundaries or even accidental plagiarism if not explicitly permitted. Clear communication and understanding of collaborative policies are vital. If the institution allows collaborative work, then identical submissions reflecting group efforts are acceptable; if not, this constitutes an academic integrity violation.

The final scenario suggests most work is individual, but parts are identical due to discussion. If collaboration is permitted and properly acknowledged, this is not misconduct. However, if students present identical work as their independent effort without clarification, it could be considered plagiarism. Educators should clarify policies on collaboration and ensure students understand when and how group work is appropriate.

Overall, these scenarios demonstrate that misunderstandings, lack of knowledge, or failure to follow academic policies can lead to integrity violations. Educational institutions should emphasize transparency, proper attribution, and clear guidelines on collaboration to uphold academic standards.

Conclusion

Maintaining academic integrity requires understanding ethical standards, institutional policies, and the importance of citing sources accurately. Students should be proactive in protecting their work, respecting others' intellectual property, and seeking clarification when unsure about collaboration policies. Educational institutions must foster an environment of honesty through clear communication, resources for proper citation, and promoting a culture that values original work.

References

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