Academic integrity is a major concern that seeks more attention in higher learning institutions. In ensuring the production of high-value degrees by institutions, both students and the staff have a role in maintaining high academic integrity levels. Upholding academic integrity means one is committed to academic values and can stick to them even in difficult situations courageously (Taugineine et al., 2019). Some of these values include honesty, fairness, responsibility, trust, and respect. With these values, one has to do the right things, even if it is under no supervision. For example, students should always learn to complete their assignments without involving third parties, avoid cheating in exams, submit plagiarized work, and academic dishonesty.
Academic integrity is the moral principle in an academic setting. It involves a demonstration of honesty in education institutions. Plagiarism, on the other hand, is a form of cheating mainly by university and college students where they represent one's words and ideas without giving proper credit. (Dhammi et al., 2016) sees plagiarism as an act of forgery, fraud, and piracy and states it as a serious academic crime. Plagiarism is most evident in students’ work during their research and while working on assignments.
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There are various practices and resources used for successful coursework. Some of the tools that students can use to complete their courses include Turnitin, Grammarly, Safe Assign. All these three are web-based applications that evaluate students' work to determine its originality. When students use these tools, they can deliver quality and plagiarism-free work, thereby upholding academic integrity. Besides checking for plagiarism, Grammarly helps students identify and correct various types of errors, such as grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes.
Some practices to help complete the coursework successfully include doing research in time, which helps avoid sloppiness and copying assignments. Also, being committed to completing assignments individually is essential and helps avoid copying old assignments or copying other students’ assignments. Additionally, students should learn and understand how to cite sources scrupulously to avoid plagiarism. Finally, students should learn and understand how to paraphrase their work effectively (Stander, 2018) . Paraphrasing involves fully understanding the content of the source and summarizing the points using their own words. After paraphrasing the points, a student must cite the source. These practices are essential for students to successfully complete a course without violating academic integrity policies.
References
Stander, M. (2018). Strategies to help university students avoid plagiarism: a focus on translation as an intervention strategy. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44 (2), 156-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1526260
Taugineine, L., Gaizizauskaite, I., & Razi, S. et al. (2019). Enhancing the Taxonomies Relating to Academic Integrity and Misconduct. Journal of Academic Ethics, 17 , 345-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-019-09342-4
Thompson, W. L., Bagby, J. H., Sulak, T. N., Sheets, J., & Trepinski, T. M. (2017). The Cultural Elements of Academic Honesty. Journal of International Students, 7 (1), 136-153.
