All members of the University community we are entrusted with the responsibility of observing certain ethical goals and values as they relate to academic integrity. Essential to the fundamental purpose of the University is the commitment to the principles of truth and honesty. Responsibility for upholding these principles lies with the individual as well as the entire community. In the video below, Buie Seawell describes how faculty members can create a culture of academic integrity in the classroom.
Strategies for Instructors
Faculty members should set a tone of academic integrity in their classroom. Below is a summary of Tips for Promoting Academic Integrity in the Classroom developed by members of the DU Honor Code Advisory Council.
- Include the DU Honor Code and your own statements on academic integrity in your syllabus. Remind students that a syllabus is a contract and that they are responsible for reading it and adhering to both the letter and the spirit of its policies.
- Define “integrity” for students and explain how it applies to research in your field. Use one or two case studies to illustrate the impact that moral values (one definition of integrity) have on a scientist’s experiments, a historian’s research, or a composer’s work.
- Explain what plagiarism is, in all its manifestations. Students who are merely told “Don’t plagiarize” often have little understanding of the difference between cutting and pasting text from a website versus paraphrasing text from a journal article.
- Explain major assignments in class, as well as providing detailed written instructions in a handout or online. For written assignments, consider including such details as: title, numbered pages, and font specifications. You might consider showing students an example of the submissions guidelines for a journal in your field, so they see your requirements for their work as on a continuum with published scholarly material. (You might also consider having them complete a checklist before submitting.)
- Design your writing assignments in ways that counter plagiarism. If you are not sure how to do this, contact the Writing Center to discuss the possibilities.
Learn More
- Helping to Ensure Academic Conduct
- Plagiarism Deterred Through Information, Not Threats
- Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) Plagiarism Resources
- Recordings from Honoring the DU Honor Code Workshop
View a past OTL Conference presentation by James Lang
