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Academic Integrity and You

Understanding academic integrity and academic misconduct

November 13, 2024 — 

October was Student Success Month and October 16 marked the International Day of Action for Academic Integrity. The University of Manitoba is a member of the International Centre for Academic Integrity (ICAC), an organization dedicated to promoting and upholding academic integrity in universities. As a student, what does academic integrity mean? How can you understand and apply the principles of academic integrity to your studies?

Academic integrity is the commitment, by students and the university, to upholding a set of six values explained defined by the ICAC.

Many students understand academic integrity as simply avoiding plagiarism. While properly citing sources is an important aspect of maintaining honesty in the university, academic integrity encompasses behaviour as well. Showing respect to peers and faculty, for example, is integral to academic integrity. The goal, ultimately, is to create an environment where ideas can be shared freely and developed in a way that students have the opportunity to learn.

UM has a procedure for academic misconduct which seeks to uphold academic integrity amongst the student population. The policy identifies forms of academic misconduct, disciplinary action, and the investigative procedure if academic misconduct is suspected. The university defines academic misconduct as “any conduct that has, or might reasonably be seen to have, an adverse effect on the academic integrity of the University,” which includes plagiarism, cheating on quizzes, tests and exams, inappropriate collaboration, duplicate submission, and academic fraud. For complete definitions please consult UM’s student academic misconduct procedure.

There are resources students can consult to help maintain academic integrity, including those for proper referencing and citations as well as throughout the writing process. Citation Guides are published and maintained by the UM libraries. For students unsure what style to use, consult the course instructor and, when in doubt, speak to the appropriate subject librarian. They can not only help find information, but also ensure it is properly cited. The library also offers numerous drop in study sessions and workshops to hone students’ writing, research, and study skills.
Tutoring and study group sessions available through the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) are collaborative resources that can help students organize their ideas, build skills and increase academic self esteem. The ALC also offers workshops on academic success and academic integrity. All these resources exist to help students, and turning to them early is a good way to prevent a last-minute crunch when meeting deadlines.

What about artificial intelligence? There is a lot of buzz about generative AI in the university, and generally it is discouraged. This includes text and image generators, editing software, paraphrasing generators, and predictive text softwares. Actual policies and procedures will vary from department to department, instructor to instructor. Understanding the ramifications of AI and academic integrity can be complex, especially as the technology continues to develop. UM has a few guidelines to understanding AI use, but when in doubt consult with instructors or professors regarding what is and isn’t acceptable AI use.

For more information on what academic integrity looks like on campus, check out the Show Your Integrity newsletter or contact the academic integrity office at AcademicIntegrity@umanitoba.ca. Other resources can be found through the UM’s academic supports webpage.

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