Understanding Academic Integrity and Plagiarism as a Psychology Professional
Understanding Academic Integrity and Plagiarism as a Psychology Professional
Students look for information from external sources like websites, journal articles, and books to support their ideas and expand their knowledge. Since this work belongs to other authors, plagiarism should be avoided through paraphrasing and appropriate citation. Turnitin is a reliable tool for checking similarity and helping students abide by the principles of academic integrity. It helps students to create original content that credits others’ work (Walden University, 2022). The purpose of this paper is to describe the originality of week 3 assignment and evaluate the use of Turnitin and the importance of academic integrity in practice.
Similarity Index
Week 3 assignment was on paraphrasing a paragraph on high violence and aggression rates in psychiatric units and prisons. The Similarity Index was 4%, indicating a small match between the written work and external sources. Turnitin shows the sources of copied work, including the internet (websites), publications, and student papers. Course Hero constitutes the highest match of the written work.
Similarity Index and Plagiarism Indication
A high Similarity Index might not indicate plagiarism since it shows the percentage of the written text (student work) that matches external sources. Commonly, students reduce or prevent plagiarism by paraphrasing externally sourced information and citing it correctly. However, some information, such as common phrases in a particular field, cannot be paraphrased. Some quotes may also be integrated into a text and cited appropriately, which is not considered plagiarism. Turnitin will consider the common phrases and properly cited quotes as matching text, hence a high Similarity Index despite not being intentional copying. On the other hand, a low Similarity Index does not necessarily indicate the absence of plagiarism since Turnitin compares external data with what is in its database. Some information may not be in Turnitin’s database.
Making Paper Changes and Using Turnitin in the Future
The most effective way is to paraphrase the parts that match internet sources and provide proper citations. However, common phrases in psychology as per the topic should not be edited or words replaced with synonyms. In the future, Turnitin will be a crucial resource for minimizing plagiarism since it highlights the parts that should be paraphrased if necessary. Paraphrasing is a standard practice for reducing plagiarism by restating other authors’ ideas in their own words (Dewi et al., 2023). The restated ideas are also cited, and references are provided to ensure the work is scholarly and does not breach academic integrity.
Impact of Academic Integrity on Academic and Professional Practice
Academic integrity signifies honesty and responsibility in one’s studies. It enables professionals to develop a moral compass and promote an ethical culture in the workplace (Guerrero-Dib et al., 2020). Similarly, academic integrity will impact my academic and professional practice by ensuring I have the right values as a psychology professional. I will be honest in my work, avoid practices that abuse my position of power, and conduct myself as a role model for junior colleagues.
Conclusion
Turnitin is a crucial tool for students to check the Similarity Index of their drafts before submitting their work. It helps to minimize plagiarism since the matching parts can be paraphrased and cited appropriately. As a psychology professional, academic integrity will be the foundation of ethical practice since it helps professionals to be responsible and honest.
References
Dewi, N. P. D. N., Putra, I. D. G. R. D., & Mahendra, M. W. (2023). Creative paraphrasing strategies in academic writing. Nilacakra.
Guerrero-Dib, J. G., Portales, L., & Heredia-Escorza, Y. (2020). Impact of academic integrity on workplace ethical behaviour. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 16(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-020-0051-3
Walden University. (2022). Turnitin. https://cdn-media.waldenu.edu/2dett4d/Walden/WWOW/Canvas/1001/pulse_check/TII/index.html#/lessons/XFrSuE-bM726tCm2NNn5ikiSqU7eDmg5
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As you have progressed through this course, you have learned the importance of developing your scholarly voice, you have learned about critical thinking, you have practiced paraphrasing, and you are beginning to understand the importance of crediting the sources of ideas and of presenting the literature in your own words. You are still at the early stages of mastering these many skills. Luckily, Walden provides resources and tools to help you along the way.
For this Assignment, you will familiarize yourself with a tool that can aid you in avoiding plagiarism: Turnitin.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To Prepare for this Assignment:
- Review the Academic Integrity resources located in this week’s Learning Resources and consider the different aspects of plagiarism.
- Review the media, “Turnitin” in this week’s Learning Resources. Also, the weekly required resources of this course provides additional information related to Turnitin as well as how to read the Originality Report.
- In Week 3, you submitted “Paraphrasing: Putting It In Your Own Words” Assignment and submitted your Assignment to Turnitin to generate an originality report.
- Review the Similarity Index and the Match Overview.
- Review the matches in detail.
The Assignment (1–2 pages):
Describe the Turnitin Originality report for your Assignment from Week 3:
- Provide the Similarity Index.
- List the source that constitutes the highest match with your written work.
- Explain why a high Similarity Index might not necessarily indicate plagiarism and why a low Similarity Index does not necessarily indicate a lack of plagiarism.
- Based on the review by Turnitin, what changes would you make to your paper?
- Explain how you would use Turnitin in the future to minimize issues with plagiarism.
- As a future psychology professional, explain how academic integrity will impact/influence your academic and professional practice.
By Day 7
Submit your Assignment by Day 7.
submission information
Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.
- To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK5Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
- Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
- Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
PSYC_6002_Week5_Assignment_Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
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| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeContent |
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20 pts | ||||
| This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting |
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5 pts | ||||
Learning ResourcesThis page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. Required ResourcesReadings
Required Media
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