Academic Integrity

I am under so much pressure to do well. If I don't have good grades in all my courses, my family will be disappointed. I don't want to cheat, but I'm just not that good in Math and don't know what to do. How can I be honest and still succeed?

College can be tough, and it is quite common for students to struggle with at least some of their courses. We understand that family pressure can be a burden, but please keep in mind that it is more important to have an honest grade, even if it is a bit lower, than a dishonest A.

Remember that you are not alone. We are here to help you succeed!

Can I use an online tutoring service to help me improve my grades?

BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL! Although there are legitimate tutoring services out there, many of them ask you to submit your course materials to their website (which is illegal) or provide you with direct answers (which is cheating), instead of guiding you to find the answers yourself (which would be proper tutoring). Oftentimes, these companies email students directly or put ads on Instagram, TikTok, or other social media platforms, pretending that they want to help you. They may also encourage you to join a "study group," but in reality they want you to purchase their services. Please don't fall for these tactics.

I know that one of my classmates is paying someone to do their work. They are calling me stupid for not doing it too, but I want to get my degree honestly. I think it is unfair that I do all the work and they don't, but I don't want to be a snitch. What should I do?

Students who pay someone to do their work are committing the strongest form of academic integrity violation possible, and their actions do not deserve being protected in any way. You should not feel guilty to report these students as their behaviour is highly unethical, extremely unfair to honest students and it damages the reputation of the college.

Don't worry, your name will be kept confidential if you report this behaviour. Please contact your instructor and/or the Deans Office if you have legitimate reasons to believe a fellow student is committing an academic integrity violation, especially if it is of this magnitude.

My friend is taking a course that I took last year and wants me to give them my essay and/or exam questions. I feel under a lot of pressure to help, but I know that this would be cheating. What should I do?

Students are expected to do their own work. A friend should not put you in a position that asks you to go against your ethics. If you did help your friend, both of you would be committing an academic integrity violation, and both of you would be held responsible.

Tell your friend that you don't want to compromise your integrity, and explain that your friend will learn best by doing the work themselves. Remind your friend of the RDP services that are available.

My English is not that great yet. Can my friend help me write my paper?

No. You are expected to write and submit your own, original work. It is never acceptable to get unauthorized help from others to write your paper. This is known as collusion, and is a form of plagiarism.

I think it's unfair that I am accused of plagiarism. In my home country, using someone else's work is a sign of respect, and I don't need to credit them if they are well known because everyone knows who I'm talking about. How am I supposed to know that this is plagiarism here and such a big deal?

Unfortunately, this is not an excuse. You are responsible to familiarize yourself with the academic expectations at Red Deer Polytechnic.

I am supposed to have at least 10 reference sources, but I only found 8. My sources cite other important sources that I haven't read, but I basically know about them, because they mention their main ideas. Is it ok if I put two of these sources in my reference list although I didn't actually read them?

No, absolutely not! In order to include a source in the reference list, you must have actually read it (or at least scanned through it and extracted what you need). If you add sources to your reference list without reading them, you are giving the impression that you have done a lot of research, when you have not. This is deceptive. 

Additionally, listing a source in the reference list without actually referring to it in-text is also plagiarism.

Do I have to reference sources that are not published?

Yes, you have to cite ALL your sources of information. Even If you get information from your parents, siblings, friends or from an unpublished document (like a letter or a memo), you will still need to cite your source.

Do I have to provide a reference in the text if I change all the ideas into my own words?

Yes, you absolutely have to! Any time you take information or ideas from someone else, you must indicate that this other person is the "owner" of these ideas.

How much of the original text do I have to change when paraphrasing so I won't be accused of plagiarism?

There is no specific percentage of words that you need to change to make it your own. It is important that you understand the content, so you can rewrite it completely in your own words. 

Remember that only changing a few words or simply rearranging the sentences is not proper paraphrasing and would be considered plagiarism, even if you cite your source.

I made an honest mistake and accidentally forgot to put quotation marks around my quote in the text, but I put an in-text citation with it and also a full citation in the list of sources. Is this still plagiarism?

Yes, this is considered plagiarism, although it is only a minor case of plagiarism. When you present someone else's exact words, you must indicate this by using quotation marks around them; otherwise the reader thinks these are your words.

Can I use artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT in my assignments?

Always ask your instructor whether you may use AI tools such as ChatGPT to complete your assignment.

If you are allowed to use AI tools in your course, remember to take the time to critically analyze the output. Sometimes it looks great on the surface, but not when you look more deeply at the content. These tools are great synthesizers, but the critical thinker is you.

Ask yourself three key questions:

1. If I use this tool for a particular task, how will it affect my learning? Will it enhance or diminish my learning? Will it give me opportunities to think more deeply or less deeply? If I use AI to generate writing, will I lose my own voice?
2. If I use this tool, will it be fair to other students?
3. If I use this tool, what are the privacy considerations?

Encourage your peers to ask themselves these three questions too.

Do I need to cite content created by artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT?

Yes! If you are allowed to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, you need to cite all of the content you use or adapt in your own writing.

To cite content from AI tools such as ChatGPT, please see the Library's citation guides:

• APA Style: Other Examples - Artificial Intelligence
• MLA Style: Other Examples - Artificial Intelligence
• Chicago Style: Other Examples - Artificial Intelligence

Permissions and Acknowledgement:

This page contains content adapted with permission from Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library by Ulrike Kestler (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) and from Mount Royal University Library (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). If you use any of the information, please ensure to comply with the terms and conditions of use imposed by the owners or licensees of those materials.

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