Academic Integrity

Authorship diplomacy

by Marta Shaw

Co-authored with Melissa Anderson (1st author), Felly Chiteng Kot, Christine C. Lepkowski, and Raymond G. DeVries

Problems with authorship are complicated enough in domestic research, but they can be particularly thorny in the... more Problems with authorship are complicated enough in domestic research, but they can be particularly thorny in the context of international scientific collaborations. Whether authorship disagreements are more common in international or domestic research is an open question, but some aspects of cross-national collaboration do complicate authorship decisions. This article reports on authorship problems faced by scientists involved in international research based on on a series 10 focus groups and 60 interviews with scientists in the U.S. (and a few outside the U.S.) who are involved in cross-national research collaborations.

"The Clicky Things Rocked!"

by Christine Bombaro

So Noxious a Premonition

by Mohamed Eno

Excerpted from my forthcoming volume Guilt of Otherness: A Brief Personal Memoir in Poetry

Strong and weak leadership exist everywhere, in every profession, and academia is not an exception. This verse is... more Strong and weak leadership exist everywhere, in every profession, and academia is not an exception. This verse is dedicated to all men and women academics who at some point in their professional life felt oppressed, frustrated or marginalized for one reason or another by the powers that be in their respective institutions.

Academic Dishonesty in the Second Language Classroom: Instructors’ Perspectives

by Maite Correa

Correa, M. (2011). Academic Dishonesty in the Second Language Classroom: Instructors’ Perspectives. Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods, 1(1), 65-79.

Academic dishonesty (or “cheating”) is a serious, yet common problem in educational institutions across all age levels... more Academic dishonesty (or “cheating”) is a serious, yet common problem in educational institutions across all age levels (Anderman and Murdock, 2007). Research has focused mainly on how many students cheat, why and how they go about it, as well as how to prevent them from doing it (Beasley, 2004; Berry, Thornton, and Baker, 2006; McCabe, 1993; Park, 2003; Staats, Hupp, Wallace, and Gresley, 2009). Additionally, there is an interest in how faculty deal with this problem and why many do not take the required judicial measures expected by their institutions (Keith-Spiegel, Tabachnick, Whitley, and Washburn, 1998; McCabe, 1993).

In the Second Language (SL) classroom, unique and specific types of academic dishonesty occur that are not found in other disciplines, for example 1) assignments initially written in the native language (original or copied from a website) are translated into the target language with the help of online translators, or 2) help provided by native or proficient speakers (anything from asking for a single word, an expression, or a complete review, i.e. “going over the paper”).

For this study an online survey was administered to 81 SL instructors across 22 US colleges and universities. The questionnaire, among other questions, asked teachers to list the types of cheating they have encountered and rate the seriousness of the offense. It also asked what procedures, if any, they follow when encountering acts of academic dishonesty, how they decide the penalties to be imposed and what they do to promote academic integrity.

Results show that, although almost all instructors have encountered several cases of cheating, as many as a third decide to deal with students one-on-one rather than following the institution’s procedures, because: 1) they are not familiar with them, 2) they consider them to be too cumbersome, 3) they think procedures or penalties are too harsh on students, or 4) they believe that first-time offenses can be handled “locally”.

Academic Integrity Through Intercultural Concepts

by Michael Smithee

Applying Intercultural Concepts to Academic Integrity

by Michael Smithee

University Student and Faculty Opinions on Academic Integrity Are Informed by Social Practices or Personal Values

by Matthew Thomas

Evidence summary

Supervisor-student relations: Examining the spectrum of conflicts of interest in bioscience laboratories

by Bryn Williams-Jones

MacDonald, C. & Williams-Jones, B. 2009. “Supervisor-student relations: Examining the spectrum of conflicts of interest in bioscience laboratories” Accountability in Research 16(2): 106-126.

Much attention has been given to financial conflicts of interest (COI) in bioscience research. Yet to date,... more Much attention has been given to financial conflicts of interest (COI) in bioscience research. Yet to date, surprisingly little attention has focused on other COIs that arise in supervisor-student relations. We examine a spectrum of related situations, ranging from standard graduate supervision through to dual relationships sometimes found in research with commercial potential. We illustrate some of the less-obvious factors that can bias supervisory judgment, and situate financial COI along a spectrum of forces that are deserving of recognition. We conclude by providing two sets of recommendations: one for individual supervisors, and the other for institutions and policy-makers.

An Investigation of Academic Dishonesty Among Undergraduates at Kansas State University

by Candace Walton

An Ethical Dilemma: Talking About Plagiarism and Academic Integrity in the Digital Age

by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas

Thomas, E.E., & Sassi, K. (July 2011) English Journal 100(6) 47-53

An open, in-depth discussion about academic integrity may help students (and teachers) develop ethical approaches to... more An open, in-depth discussion about academic integrity may help students (and teachers) develop ethical approaches to scholarship. Real classroom talk is closely examined and suggestions for teaching students how to avoid plagiarism in the digital age are offered.

The social structure of research accountability: Regimes of worth, claims of representation, and networks of accountability in research

by Balazs Vedres

The real accountability issue is not just how public money is spent, but whether science is helping to further... more The real accountability issue is not just how public money is spent, but whether science is helping to further sustainable development. Answering this question requires us to consider the interplay between the different ways we value things, the different people who claim the right to attach values, and the different ways they connect to each other.

A role for student centered education in promoting academic and scientific integrity

by Manuel João Costa

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
Volume 39, Issue 4, pages 316–317, July/August 2011

In addition to knowledge and technical or reasoning skills, students need develop a real and honest sense of... more In addition to knowledge and technical or reasoning skills, students need develop a real and honest sense of professional integrity in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB). Knowledge and reasoning, technical skills, behavior and conduct are the five ingredients. Each ingredient is essential, no ingredient is less important than the others. However, the message conveyed to students by most BMB courses, through curricula content and assessment programs, is that knowledge and skills are what really matters. It is natural that BMB courses primarily expect students to understand the structure and function of molecules or how molecular networks function. It makes sense that practical classes in the laboratory primarily target the development of student skills. BMB examinations that count for decisions—pass/fail or honors—should put students' BMB knowledge to the test. However, we may be neglecting too much the education and training of students on academic integrity and on the development of a proper scientific conduct.

Stop Smoking within USAMV Cluj-Napoca and All Romanian University campuses and Anywhere in the World – for a Sustainable Romania and Development – The Human and His Decisions is the Most Contaminating Aggregate (Romanian language article with English abstract)

by Adrian Toader-Williams

Author: Adrian Toader-Williams
Keywords: Stop smoking, university campus, Romania, economy, ecology, sustainable development, public health, world economy, personal health, efficiency, academic performance, public policy, law, terms conditions, human mind, bureaucracy, interests, education, life sciences, research, tobacco, natural resources, campaign, Global impact, 31 may, WHO, World Health Organization, OMS, Organizaţia Mondială a Sănătăţii, FĂ FIECARE ZI  ZIUA MONDIALĂ FĂRĂ TUTUN, Make Every Day World No Tobacco Day, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, USAMV Cluj-Napoca,

The article is in Romanian language and it marks the beginning of Stop Smoking campaign within the University campuses... more The article is in Romanian language and it marks the beginning of Stop Smoking campaign within the University campuses in Romania, starting with the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. It encourages students and professors to stop smoking on the campus and anywhere. The essential purpose of an educational institution, of a university is to prepare professionals. USAMV Cluj-Napoca being a Life Sciences University has a more accentuated obligation not to only research Life Sciences but also to protect Human Life and its Human Condition. Healthy professionals are a better, sustainable investment. Stopping smoking assures public health, reduces public expenditures and wasted natural resources. Therefore, smoking has a huge negative impact upon the Global Ecological and Economical problems given the inter-dependence of resources and of the negative outcomes of tobacco consumption. The article is also an invitation to observe 31-st of May as the „Make Every Day World No Tobacco Day” initiated recently by the World Health Organization (WHO). The article calls for initiating in Romania such campaign and the 31-st of May to be a day to celebrate the success. Lots of resistance / opposition / arguments have been met from the newspaper’s staff in order to have the article published in the USAMV Newsletter. It was called as being a campaign and the paper’s policy does not support any campaign and concentrates on informative articles. Ironically, on the cover of the same paper (issue nr. 21, February 2011) the administration published a campaign for „Mărţişor”. Several other conflicting and non-sense arguments were sent to me. To mention sadly, it is very difficult to lunch an initiative in Romania. The article in essence, using Romanian language says: Recent, Organizaţia Mondială a Sănătăţii (WHO),  a declarat 31 Mai a fi ziua Mondială împotriva fumatului. Numită „FĂ FIECARE ZI  ZIUA MONDIALĂ FĂRĂ TUTUN,.”  USAMV Cluj-Napoca poate pre-întâmpina ziua de 31 mai dând un exemplu în rândul universităţilor din România.
The electronic version as PDF (see page 15) has been hardly sent to me by papers staff and here I made it available to you for download. I invite readers to take a stand and send to the University a paper letter via regular /registered mail and express your point of view. It is a beginning of a major project and I need any possible support from allover the World and from Romania as well. It is not a domestic concern; it is not a national concern. It has a Global Impact as the borders that divide us are just symbolic. Thank you.