1G: Academic Integrity

Learning Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain what academic integrity means.
• Define plagiarism and recognize common examples.
• Distinguish between acceptable academic support and academic dishonesty.
• Apply strategies to complete your work honestly and responsibly

What Is Academic Integrity?

Academic integrity means being honest, responsible, and ethical in your learning.

Students demonstrate academic integrity when they:

• Complete their own work.
• Acknowledge the ideas and words of others.
• Follow assignment instructions.
• Ask for help when needed without asking someone else to do the work for them.
• Learn from mistakes instead of looking for shortcuts.

Academic integrity builds trust between students and teachers and helps you develop skills that will benefit you throughout school and your future career.

What Is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is presenting someone else's words, ideas, or work as if they were your own.

This can happen intentionally or accidentally.

Plagiarism includes:

• Copying text from a website without giving credit.
• Copying another student's work.
• Submitting someone else's essay as your own.
• Copying from a book or article without acknowledging the source.
• Paraphrasing someone else's ideas without giving credit.

Even if you change a few words, the ideas still belong to the original author and must be acknowledged.

Examples of Plagiarism

Writing Your Own Analysis

Student Response:

I believe the character demonstrates courage because he chooses to protect his younger brother even though he knows he could be punished. This decision shows that family is more important to him than his own safety.

This is an original response because the student developed and explained their own thinking.

What Is NOT Plagiarism?

These actions demonstrate academic integrity.

Reading a book and writing your own summary.

Discussing ideas with your tutor before writing.

Receiving feedback on your draft and making your own revisions.

Looking up the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.

Using quotations correctly when required and acknowledging the source.

Learning from others is encouraged. Copying their work is not.

How Your Tutor Can Help

Your tutor is here to support your learning, not complete your assignments.

A tutor can:

• Explain difficult concepts.
• Teach reading and writing strategies.
• Help you understand assignment instructions.
• Review grammar and organization.
• Ask questions that help you think more deeply.
• Provide feedback on your draft.

A tutor should not:

• Write your assignments.
• Tell you exactly what to write.
• Complete quizzes or tests for you.
• Copy answers from online sources.

The goal of tutoring is to help you become a more independent learner.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Responsibly

AI tools can support learning when used appropriately, but they should not replace your own thinking.

Appropriate uses include:

• Brainstorming ideas.
• Explaining unfamiliar vocabulary.
• Reviewing grammar.
• Suggesting ways to improve sentence clarity.
• Generating practice questions.

Inappropriate uses include:

• Asking AI to write your essay and submitting it as your own.
• Copying AI-generated responses without reviewing or revising them.
• Using AI during a test or assessment when it is not permitted.

Always follow your teacher's instructions regarding the use of AI tools.

Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism

Before submitting your work, ask yourself:

☐ Did I write this in my own words?

☐ Did I explain my own thinking?

☐ Did I use evidence from the text appropriately?

☐ Have I acknowledged any sources that I used?

☐ Can I honestly say this work represents my own learning?

If you answer "yes" to these questions, you are demonstrating academic integrity.