Information for Faculty

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity refers to the upholding of ethical and moral behavior as it relates to academic pursuits including academic assignments, exams, and other works associated with the College and a student's learning experience. Academic dishonesty is the opposite of academic integrity and includes acts of plagiarism and cheating, which are prohibited per the Cuyahoga Community College Student Handbook.

Students can learn more about maintaining academic integrity by working with their faculty members, developing a deep understanding of their course syllabi, and utilizing College resources such as tutoring and the Writing Center.

In this course, the minimum penalty for academic dishonesty is [a zero on the assignment, etc.].

• For the first offense in the course, students may be referred to the Integrity Institute for a one-hour meeting (virtual or in-person) with a Tri-C librarian or Writing Center consultant to review the assignment containing plagiarism/academic dishonesty. Upon completion of the Integrity Institute session, the student may be permitted to [revise the plagiarized assignment for full/partial credit, etc.].
• If there is a second offense, the student will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs, which may initiate a formal Student Conduct process that could result in sanctions by the College.

Courtesy of Tri-C ESL Faculty: Becca Aronhalt Yokum, Alayna Klco, David Napuk, and Nick Prokup

ELLs face unique challenges with academic writing in English, often making them ideal candidates for referral to the Integrity Institute. 

Cultural Considerations

• Writing from sources is demanding for students with developing English skills or limited academic writing experience (Schmitt, 2005).
• Students with a non-English speaking background may have writing practices that are incompatible with Western intellectual property and scholarly norms (Marshall & Garry, 2006; Pecorari, 2008).
• In the Eastern world, where group consensus is vital, plagiarism is seen, not as a negative, but as being respectful to the author (Dryden, 1999; Pennycook, 1996 as cited in Fuqua et al. 2015).
• Many East Asian cultures, including Chinese and Japanese cultures, lack the word or definition for plagiarism in their first language, leading to confusion when faced with this problem in Western institutions (Ling, 2006 as cited in Fuqua et al 2015).
• Cultural differences can affect learning and classroom interactions:
  • Individualist Cultures
    • Comfortable asking questions
    • Unafraid to speak up in class
    • Secure in seeking clarification
    • Used to working in small groups
  • Collectivist Cultures
    • Seldom ask questions
    • Not comfortable being called on
    • Won’t want to lose face by asking for clarification
    • More used to working alone or as a whole class
  • Low Power Distance Cultures
    • Open communication
    • Willing to question teacher
    • Easier to participate in discussion
  • High Power Distance Cultures
    • Hierarchical structures paramount
    • Struggle to engage in open dialogue with teacher
    • Disrespectful to challenge ideas or ask questions

Paraphrasing and Inferencing

After students understand what plagiarism is, they may still plagiarize unintentionally. These are two primary causes:

• Patchwriting: Rather than copying a statement word for word, or paraphrasing thoroughly, the writer rearranges phrases and changes tenses, relying heavily on the vocabulary and syntax of the source material (Flowerdew & Li, 2007; Howard, 1995; Pecori, 2003).
• Inferencing (reading between the lines to draw conclusions) is essential in paraphrasing sources but is rarely mentioned or explicitly taught. Making inferences in a second language can be quite challenging.

Resources:

Flowerdew, J., & Li, Y. (2007). Plagiarism and second language writing in an electronic age. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 27, 161-183.

Fuqua, J., Gerber, H. R., & Votteler, N. K. (2015). Mitigating Plagiarism With English Language Learners Through Collaborative Writing Programs: A Review of the Literature. 영상영어교육, 16(1), 153-169.

Howard, R. M. (1995). Plagiarisms, authorships, and the academic death penalty. College English, 57(7), 788-806.

Marshall, S. & Garry, M. (2006). NESB and ESB students’ attitudes and perceptions of plagiarism. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 2(1), 26-37. doi: 10.21913/IJEI.v2i1.25 

Pecorari, D. (2008). Academic writing and plagiarism.

Pecorari, D. (2003). Good and original: Plagiarism and patchwriting in academic second-language writing. Journal of second language writing, 12(4), 317-345.

Schmitt, D. (2005). Writing in the international classroom. In J. Carrol & J. Ryan (Eds.), Teaching international students: Improving learning for all (pp. 63-74). Routledge.