Science - Plagiarism & Referencing: Academic Integrity & Ethics

Academic Integrity and Ethics:

"Academic integrity is the moral code or ethical policy of academia. This includes values such as avoidance of cheating or plagiarism; maintenance of academic standards; honesty and rigor in research and academic publishing" (Wikipedia)

According to the UJ Policy: Students Plagiarism:

PREAMBLE

• In pursuit of its vision of being an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future;
• mindful of its commitment to the sustained excellence and relevance of its comprehensive programmes and of its research, and
• recognising its obligation to cultivate students with integrity, who are knowledgeable, well-balanced, ethical leaders and confident global citizens,

the University of Johannesburg (“the University”) provides a uniform framework for dealing with student plagiarism.

Forget plagiarism: there’s a new and bigger threat to academic integrity, Adele Thomas Professor of Management at University of Johannesburg (UJ). 

The role of universities

"Universities exist to advance thought leadership and moral development in society.

As such, their academics must be role models and must promote ethical behaviour within the academy. There should be a zero tolerance policy for academics who cheat. Extensive instruction should be provided to students about the pitfalls of cheating and they must be taught techniques to improve their academic writing skills.

Universities must develop a culture of integrity and maintain this through ongoing dialogue about the values on which academia is based. They also need to develop institutional moral responsibility by really examining how student cheating is dealt with, confronting academics' resistance to reporting and dealing with such cheating, and taking a tough stand on student teaching......"

UJ: Forget plagiarism: there’s a new and bigger threat to academic integrity

Academic plagiarism is no longer just sloppy “cut and paste” jobs or students cribbing large chunks of an assignment from a friend’s earlier essay on the same topic. These days, students can simply visit any of a number of paper or essay mills that litter the internet and buy a completed assignment to present as their own.

Recently published article with co-author from UJ: Amanda Mphahlele, Lecturer, University of Johannesburg

"Policing plagiarism could make universities miss the real problems"