York students take lead on academic integrity
Posted on 11 February 2009
They are leading a campaign to embrace the concept of academic integrity to promote wider understanding of the conventions of academic writing and the most effective and transparent use of sources in course work.
We wanted to adopt a positive approach to the problem of plagiarism
YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland
The University is adopting this innovative approach to strengthen understanding of the academic values of honesty, fairness and trust.
The students’ union at York, YUSU, is running the campaign which aims to provide a supportive environment for students to develop confidence in referencing.
The campaign’s centrepiece will be Academic Integrity Week starting on 16 February which will include workshops on electronic referencing systems and how to avoid plagiarism and collusion. There will also be a series of staff events on the University’s comprehensive programme of measures including a workshop on how to ‘design’ out plagiarism.
Following recommendations from student representatives, a dedicated website for students will be launched, which will include a student-monitored blog. A set of referencing booklets on all styles will also be available. To raise interest in the event, YUSU has been running an advertising campaign across the University featuring posters and postcards to prompt students to address the issues of originality and personal integrity.
YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland said: "We wanted to adopt a positive approach to the problem of plagiarism. We wanted to encourage students to think deeply about the issues involved to give them a fuller understanding of the concept of academic integrity."
Academic Support Office Project Officer, Clare Wiggins, said: "The website will provide easy access to a referencing A-Z and it will offer the opportunity to ask questions through the blog. We hope that it will make a real difference for students who may be unsure or lacking in confidence in their own abilities."
The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Trevor Sheldon said: "The University of York has a history of being a student empowered institution, so it was entirely appropriate that YUSU took the lead in this campaign. It complements the work we are doing through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)."
The University introduced a plagiarism awareness tutorial for students through the VLE. All new students must complete the tutorial and achieve 100 per cent in the tests on it in order to progress on their course. The aim is to make sure that all new students have a basic understanding of the plagiarism, referencing and paraphrasing.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For more information see www.york.ac.uk/k-roy.