Chapter 9: Research and Evidence

9.6 Ethics and Plagiarism

The topic of ethics and plagiarism is common to every academic discipline and professional career path. Ethics is defined as the moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.We make ethical decisions in the workplace every day, including language that either supports or undermines inclusion and civility. Additionally, company resources and policies determine the culture and climate of an organization. In a professional setting, plagiarism refers to idea development. Whether you are presenting at a conference, conducting a research study, creating a menu for your new restaurant, or designing a website for freelancing, it is necessary to accurately cite original authorship. Plagiarism is defined as the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own. It is important that you avoid plagiarism and understand the consequences for trying to pass off someone else’s work or ideas as your own.

Indiana State University’s Code of Student Conduct outlines the rights, responsibilities, and expectations that the university expects from all students. Section 2.0, Academic Policies, specifically addresses responsibilities of students in the classroom and has a section on plagiarism. The Office of Student Conduct and Integrity is the primary office on campus responsible for conflict resolution as well as addressing alleged violations of the Code.

Informed Learning

The kind of skills developed through Informed Learning are highly valued in every step of your education and beyond in your professional and personal life. Courses that include introduction and practice opportunities for student research greatly benefit students. Educators can foster a perspective and relationship between students encouraging involvement and their future in higher education. An academic article published in the Mentor identified “The Benefits of Undergraduate Research: The Student’s Perspective” (2013).

  1. Better understanding of published works
  2. Better at balancing collaborative and individual work
  3. Better at determining areas of interest
  4. Better able to jump start careers in research
  5. Discover passion for research
  6. Gained experience in their career or field
  7. Continue on to graduate studies and faculty positions

In the article, we learn that many undergraduate students are “overwhelmed by the academic process” and “do not really know what the research process is” (Madan & Teitge, 2013). Your introduction to Informed Learning has set you on a positive path with a student-oriented perspective on research.

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