ETHOS
MAY 2015
A Monthly Publication of the International Center for Academic Integrity Featuring Summaries of Integrity News + News from the Center
Quote of the Month
“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or
measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” - Douglas Adams
‘Ghost Writing’ Essay Services Aren’t Plagiarism,
But Admins Warn Against Them
By: Justin Perkins
DailyNebraskan.com
4/23/2015
With semester deadlines looming for students, administrators at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln hope to caution students about the
consequences of cheating and plagiarism. Officials within Student
Affairs said a majority of cases they see arise from students in panic
situations, where they feel an overwhelming dread at the stress of
schoolwork, their personal lives and work lives.
In such times, the office has to be clear on how it deals with the
ambiguous areas of plagiarism and cheating. One concern the office has
noted is the hiring either of other students or paper-writing companies
to create custom essays.
While custom essay services – or ghost writers – might appear
undetectable to some, Sue Kelly Moore, associate director of student
judicial services, said her office has handled a number of cases within
the past few years and is aware of their general presence on campus.
“You’d be surprised at the kind of stuff people think will fly under the
radar but does eventually come to light,” Moore said.
Though ghost writing services would not be considered plagiarism – as
long as the ghost writer produces his or her own work – Moore said it
would still be considered either a misrepresentation or forgery of a
student’s work, with punishments similar to plagiarism under UNL’s
student code of conduct. “Students need to know the gravity of their
decisions and the ramifications these can have,” Moore said.
Along with the pressure to finish assignments and projects, Moore said a
common temptation causing students to cheat is the idea of mutual
exchange: one student receives reward for a service tendered and the
other benefits with a higher grade…
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/news/ghost-writing-essay-services-aren-t-plagiarismbut-admins-warn/article_507177a4-e97a-11e4-8b8a-7fd5fb2bf2dc.html
Saudi Academics Sacked for Plagiarism
By: Arab News
ArabNews.com
From the Director
Small reminders, big results?
Among the gems in Dan Ariely’s work are
the findings about the effects of “moral
reminders” on subsequent (in the short
term) decision making. As described here,
the researchers found that having been
prompted to recall moral rules (the 10
commandments, in this case) decreased the
likelihood that the students would cheat,
compared to test subjects who had been
asked to recall something that wasn’t about
distinguishing right actions from wrong
ones.
Further investigation revealed that the
results were consistent amongst not only
“believers” in the text, but also those to
whom the 10 commandments are not
sacred. This suggests that it is the act of
bringing moral issues to mind that has the
effect rather than believing in the religious
text. If this is so, it might well be possible to
increase integrity simply by devising ways
to encourage students to think about ethics,
especially in situations where it might be
tempting to break the rules.
Would it be enough simply to ask students
to recall and write their school’s honor code
from memory before beginning an
assignment? I haven’t seen it tested, but it
certainly seems worth investigation.
~Teddi Fishman
Tuesday. He said university professors at the universities
5/09/2015 had discovered the fraud. They did not have the aid of
Several academics have been fired from their teaching jobs at
universities across the country for plagiarism, a leading
academic has said. They had stolen the work of researchers
based inside and outside the country, said Rashud Al-Kharaif,
dean of scientific research at King Saud University, according
to a recent media report.
Al-Kharaif was addressing a scientific research forum
sponsored by the National Anti-Corruption Commission at
Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh on
special software to detect the plagiarism because most of
these were not in Arabic.
If plagiarism is suspected, a university sets up a commission
to investigate the case, followed by a higher committee to
submit a report to the rector. Later, a disciplinary
committee determines penalties, which could include salary
deductions, cancelation of promotions or sacking…
Full Article: http://www.arabnews.com/saudiarabia/news/744386
Announcements
Upcoming Events!
Plagiarism Across Europe and
Beyond 2015
University of Brno
Brno, Czech Republic
June 10-12, 2015
http:/plagiarism.cz/
3rd National Congress on
Academic Integrity
Universidad de Monterrey
Monterrey, Mexico
October 8-9, 2015
http://www.udem.edu.mx/Esp/NoticiasEventos/Pages/Eventos/2015/octubre/3-CongresoNacional-de-Integridad-Academica.aspx
HETL 2015:
Learning Without Borders
Minneapolis, Minnesota
September 22-24, 2015
https://www.hetl.org/2015-hetl-pstlconference/
____________________________
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http://www.twitter.com/TweetCAI
Plagiarism on the Rise in
Australia, Pressure to Pass
International Students
News.com.au
4/21/2015
Weak students are being awarded
nursing degrees by Australia’s top
universities, putting the lives of
patients at risk, an investigation has
revealed. “There are students that are
falling through the cracks, and yes, they
could end up being unsafe
practitioners,” said one academic, who
worked for the University of Western
Sydney and the Australian Catholic
University. “There are a group of
students who I honestly believe…should
not be graduating.”
Academics told ABC about pressure to
pass underperforming full-fee paying
international students. One lecturer
said she was “staggered” by the increase
in plagiarism. The report also shed light
on the murky world of offshore agents
used by Australian universities to
recruit hundreds of thousands of
students, mainly from China.
In one case, a Beijing agent who
represents universities including
Monash, Queensland, Sydney,
Newcastle, Southern Cross, ACU, ANU
and UTS, was caught on tape saying he
would accept a forged school transcript
if a student had a poor academic record.
Dr. Zena O’Connor, who teaches at the
University of Sydney, told Four Corners
the income stream generated by
international students was huge. At
Sydney University, international
students make up a quarter of all
enrolments while at RMIT in
Melbourne they make up 50 percent…
http://www.news.com.au/national/plagiarism-onrise-at-australian-universities-as-academics-facepressure-to-pass-international-students/storyfncynjr2-1227312668696
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Southeast Tech President
Cleared of Plagiarism Charges
Alex Friedrich
5/8/2015
MPRNews.com
Southeast Technical President
Dorothy Duran has been cleared of
plagiarism charges by her alma
mater. Duran was one of two
Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities system presidents
accused of plagiarism by a former
MnSCU adjunct instructor. In a letter
released today, a research integrity
officer at the University of Texas at
Austin told Duran that an inquiry
concluded her behavior "does not rise
[to the level of] scientific misconduct,"
and that a formal investigation was
not necessary. The letter did not
provide further details.
"We are pleased, but not surprised,
with the outcome," MnSCU
Chancellor Steven Rosenstone said in
a statement. "These reckless charges
are one tactic in a coordinated
campaign of personal attacks
intended to tarnish the reputations of
MnSCU presidents. We consider the
matter closed." Duran could not
immediately be reached for comment,
but said in a statement, "I am
extraordinarily grateful for the
support of my colleagues, my
community, and our students during
this time…"
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/0
5/08/plagriarism-charges
Welcome New Members
May 2015!
University of North Texas
Adventist University of Health
Sciences
The Catholic University of
America
Wilmington University
This publication is sponsored by:
Ethos Staff:
[email protected]
Aaron Monson:
Editor/Writer
Teddi Fishman:
Executive Editor