Academic Integrity

Often, we consider integrity to mean "doing the right thing" even when it is inconvenient for us, or "doing the right thing even when no one else is watching." Integrity focuses on our inner sense of right and wrong. Integrity directs us to be truthful in our relationships with others. Integrity encourages us to be honest with our families, peers, and those around us.

Academic integrity is very important, especially for students. When we have academic integrity, we take ownership of what we do and what we know. Academic integrity means that we acknowledge information that is not ours by providing information for the reader about our sources.

Academic integrity requires practice so that it becomes a habit. By practicing academic integrity, we are more likely to have integrity in other parts of our lives. Having academic integrity allows all of us to build knowledge. We can acknowledge and build on the ideas and work of others before us. This is how new ideas are born and innovations in our society are made!

Sometimes, when you research, you will want to borrow a phrase directly from a text. This is called quoting verbatim. At other times, it might work better to paraphrase someone's ideas so it flows with your sentence better. Paraphrasing is when you read information, draw conclusions from the information, and then summarize the information in your own words.

Regardless of whether you quote directly (verbatim) or paraphrase what you read, you need to credit the original source of that knowledge. To use a technical term, you need to "cite" your sources. You cannot present this information as your own knowledge.

Your ideas are yours to use freely for your work, and they do not need to be referenced. They are your property! However, if you are borrowing the ideas of others, you must acknowledge the owner of the ideas or work. Some information on how to credit your sources appropriately is on p. 161 in Reading and Writing for Success. There are also some very good websites that can help you as well, or even do your source citing for you ("Citation Machine").

Our integrity is challenged when our lives test us. Busy schedules, pressure from within ourselves, pressure from peers, parents, and teachers, or feelings of being overwhelmed with the amount of work we have to do, can test our inner sense of integrity. When we feel challenged in these ways, we need to remember that resources are available to help us. If you are feeling overwhelmed about your ELA 10-2 course, contact your teacher and get some help!