Academic Integrity: Tips for Academic Integrity

One of the best ways to avoid the temptation to plagiarize or to cheat is to plan ahead.  If you are behind in your work, you often become sloppy.  For example, you don't double-check your bibliography because you are in a hurry and leave off a key source you cited several times in your paper.  In other cases students won't leave themselves enough time to write that paper or study for that test.  In those cases the temptation to plagiarize or cheat can become very strong.  Here are some tips for planning ahead and avoiding that temptation:

• Make sure you understand the requirements of the assignment or research project

• Know the kinds of sources you are going to need (books, articles, interviews, primary sources)

• Allow yourself plenty of time, so that you aren’t so rushed that you are tempted to plagiarize (in other words don't procrastinate too long!)

• —When you find a source you want to use, make sure you keep a copy of the citation (include titles, authors, dates, pages, URLs, notes on where you found the source, etc.)

• You may want to use a note-taking tool or citation manager to keep track of your citations, your quotes, and your notes. See our Citation Managers page for suggestions.

If your instructor hasn't given you deadlines along the way for a big assignment or paper, use a Research Calculator. Put in the date you are going to begin working on the assignment, when the assignment is due, and the subject area of the assignment.  You'll then get a schedule to help you plan your time effectively.

1. Learn the different expectations for research and citation in different disciplines and departments.
2. Follow the rules of each course for any given assignment.
3. Familiarize yourself with different aspects of plagiarism, the basic rules of copyright, and the proper use of citations.