Academic integrity refers to the honesty and respect that students follow when studying, and the typical performance of academic dishonesty is plagiarism of other people's thoughts or works. For example, cheating in submitting plagiarized papers, copying some information into your own papers, and not providing appropriate quotations.
When you first enter the American education system, it is easy to cause some unnecessary troubles because you don't understand the rules, which may lead to disciplinary action and even the risk of being expelled from the university.
How do American universities "handle" academic misconduct?
According to the 20 18 White Paper on China Students Studying in the United States, the reasons why China students are dismissed can be roughly divided into: poor academic performance, academic dishonesty, improper behavior, low attendance rate, ignorance of school norms, health problems, and others. Among them, the proportion of students who were dismissed because of academic dishonesty was as high as 35.72%. Among the top 50 schools in U.S. News, the proportion of students who were dismissed because of academic dishonesty was as high as 37.66%; In the schools ranked 5 1- 100, the proportion of students who were dismissed was 33. 16%. It can be seen that the higher the ranking, the lower the tolerance rate of academic dishonesty.
American universities attach great importance to academic norms. For example, when writing a thesis, students are required to demonstrate rigorously, support their own views with various arguments, and learn to think reversely, and imagine how others will refute this view, thus strengthening this argument. In domestic high schools, we don't emphasize how to "quote" writing, but American universities will judge papers that don't list the sources of literature reasonably as plagiarism. If it is a long quotation, it will be "upgraded" to academic plagiarism with serious consequences.
Therefore, it is very important for international students who plan to enter American universities to understand academic integrity, so as to become a qualified college student.
How do American universities educate students on academic integrity?
In order to make international students have a correct understanding of academic integrity, American universities have also made full preparations:
Western kentucky university, the University of South Carolina and other schools help international students meet the academic integrity standards required by American universities when they enroll.
The State University of New Jersey at Rutgers cooperated closely with the International Service Office, and held various seminars in late August when foreign students first arrived, to help foreign students master the academic integrity concept of American universities before and after enrollment.
In addition, many American universities educate international students on academic integrity through other channels, so that they can better adapt to the study life of American universities.
1. Description of the school website
Many university websites provide international students with a guide to academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism. For example, the Office of International Affairs of the University of Chicago has a webpage called "Honest Work and Academic Integrity", which provides examples of plagiarized texts and information on how to quote them correctly.
Similarly, the library website of California State University Northridge provides international students with a schematic diagram entitled "Plagiarism: What do you think it is, what it is actually" and information on how to avoid plagiarism.
The website of the University of Michigan Library gives examples of different forms of plagiarism in the guide for foreign students, and provides skills for foreign students to study at school.
Through its website, the University of Pittsburgh translated the word "plagiarism" into several different languages, including Chinese, French and Arabic, and explained how to correctly quote other authors' academic content.
In addition to the website, international students can usually find the academic integrity policy of the university in the school catalogue or international student handbook.
2. Online tutorials, courses and writing labs
After entering American universities, foreign students can take some courses around academic integrity and make use of other resources on campus. Many teachers have covered the topic of academic integrity in the syllabus, and some teachers have also provided suggestions on campus resources, from which students can get appropriate writing help.
Lauren smith, director of international student services at the University of South Carolina, said: "In the United States, educating students about academic integrity is the top priority of international student services. The school has an online module focusing on academic integrity, requiring all international students to complete and pass relevant tests before registering for the course. "
Similarly, Stevenson University and Rutgers University offer online courses on academic integrity for registered students. Stevenson University also requires that students who fail to complete this course will not be able to register for the next semester. In addition to the orientation for international students, western kentucky university also provides follow-up seminars on learning skills and cultural adaptation to re-examine the theme of academic integrity.
In addition, many universities in the United States have writing laboratories where students can seek help, and school staff and teaching assistants can help students solve plagiarism problems. Some universities will also arrange special writing classes for international freshmen to cultivate their academic norms.
It can be seen that American universities are trying their best to solve the complex problem of "academic integrity". The delegation of Rutgers University officials also went to China and India to discuss with local students who are interested in studying in the United States how to adapt to the new university environment, appropriate citation methods and differences in American classrooms.
In the eyes of American universities, honesty and success are closely related. Academic integrity is not only to follow the policy of the university, but to a great extent, it is more important to educate students about the concept of academic integrity than to obtain the degree itself and achieve success. For those of us who are going to study in the United States, we should keep a rigorous attitude towards learning and master real knowledge and skills. We must not take chances and "risk ourselves" and ruin our future.