Foundation Academic Skills Principles and Values

Question: Discuss about the Foundation Academic Skills Principles and Values. Answer: Introduction: Academic integrity can be defined as the moral code of academia. It is a core set of principles and values which defines the mission of every university in Australia- hard work, integrity and determination of translating professional or personal principles into behaviour. Both students and teachers are responsible to maintain academic integrity. Plagiarism is defined as an act of misrepresenting somebody elses work as ones own work. It is argued that claiming the work of someone else without acknowledgement is wrong (Bretag et al., 2013). This essay provides several aspects of plagiarism such as ethical and moral implications, breach of trust, academic issues, legal issues and societal issues. According to Teeter (2014), ethics lie around the value of the degree. Based on the ethical and moral issues, cheating on college campuses has increased in the previous decade. The technological advancements have made it easier for the students to cheat and plagiarize content for gaining high grades. The rapid adoption of testing technology has increased the scope for cheating. The personal computer has made typing, reformatting and editing much easier. The internet has brought unlimited source of content that can be copied which has substantially increased plagiarism (Gore, 2014). Graham-Matheson and Starr (2013) argue that it is disrespectful to copy content without giving credit which may also be considered a breach of trust. If the teachers provide study materials to the students, claiming the definitions or concepts as theirs, it is disrespectful for the author who has originally produced the material. Not only notes, but the electronic books provided to the clients for building credibility and earning money which has the same content can be categorized under plagiarism. If a business starts a blog to attract clients, he cannot publish the blog without written consent (Woith, Jenkins, Kerber, 2012). As stated by Woith, Jenkins, and Kerber (2012), due to academic issues, referencing is important as it allows acknowledging the contribution of other researchers. As a student, one can draw on million of insights, ideas or arguments produced by other writers. The people have spent years researching and writing their piece of work and it is necessary to acknowledge their contribution using the referencing standards. One can make the marker aware of the field one is operating. Proper referencing ensures that the individual has acknowledged resources and avoided using others ideas or materials without acknowledgement. Acknowledging sources is also important as it helps in distinguishing own work from that of the sources. It also helps in establishing credibility and authority of the ideas and knowledge. It is necessary to be intellectually honest as the citation demonstrates the breadth and depth of the reading. It also enables the readers in determining the extent of knowledge of the t opic (Graham-Matheson Starr, 2013). It is argued that providing a well-informed or sophisticated piece of work without acknowledging sources creates suspicion or concern in the minds of readers. Referencing is also a manner to permit the reader for pursuing the topic further. Sources can also help in gathering ideas and information so that it can be expanded and enriched of particular disciplines or topics. Acknowledging the sources help in satisfying the expectations of the academic community. The community expects rigour and honesty in academic research or writing. The assignments provide the students with an opportunity to expand their knowledge in the chosen subject or discipline. It is essential to show the reader that the research has offered a range of perspective which are relevant to the assignment topic (Emmott, 2013). Ehrich, Howard, and Bokosmaty (2015) further argue that anecdotal evidence, personal experience or opinions are not much valued in academic writing. It is an obvious reason that one is reading the subject widely to gain multiple perspectives or see things differently. Therefore, own writing needs to acknowledge other perspectives beyond current level of understanding. When an individual is writing about a particular topic, one is not only presenting the perspective of others. The reading helps in presenting self-evaluations or conclusions (Griffin, Bolkan, Goodboy, 2015). Therefore, with the acknowledgement of sources, it is helpful in making persuasive arguments that support own perspectives and conclusions. Acknowledging the sources help in demonstrating the material as own. The readers may conclude that the information is unreliable if the sources are not acknowledged or cited in a proper manner (Ehrich, Howard, Bokosmaty, 2015). According to Charbonneau and Priehs (2014), academic writing shows a wide range of sources that can be organized around arguments, central points or sections. Academic cheating can become a legal issue as the colleges and universities have the authority to punish plagiarists in many ways such as expulsion from college. The university may also revoke the degree earned in part of plagiarism (Griffin, Bolkan, Goodboy, 2015). The copyright law may be applicable where the true author can sue to plagiarist for violating the copyright. The copyright infringement states the unauthorized use of copyrighted material violating the copyright owners rights to perform of reproduce the copyrighted work. As good scholars and writers, one must be vigilant about application of rules with the source material. The intellectual property right exist to protect the creators of the work. There must be no borrowing of academic material in research without proper acknowledgement. It may be categorized into stealing information and might require a financial compensation for the unique and original efforts of the researcher. Trademark enables protection against all unlicensed copying and is not limited to colours, logos and designs. Trademarks are easier to defend than protecting copyright. The trademark owners can report the violators for the intellectual violation if the sources are not acknowledged. Plagiarism damages brand reputation as it discredits through stealing someone elses work. The brands take years to form a reputation and it would be hard to retain the followers if the brand reputation is once damaged. Plagiarism is a very serious problem in the academic field which can be conside red as a crime (Halder Mridha, 2016). According to Rezanejad and Rezaei (2013), the issue of plagiarism can be also viewed from the cultural perspective. A cultural background does not create a strong argument for tendency to plagiarize. Culture plays a crucial role as the students need to be taught to have respect for the source material. It is argued that the students are accused of plagiarism claiming unawareness of what is going wrong. They do not possess sufficient knowledge and the importance of referencing the work of other scholars and researchers. The universities have a holistic approach to the issue of academic integrity and honesty with the students (Griffin, Bolkan, Goodboy, 2015). Conclusively, plagiarism is an increasing problem in all the sectors of education. The academic institutions prefer to handle the issues of plagiarism through internal investigations. Plagiarism is a very serious problem in the academic field which can be considered as a crime. If the teachers provide study materials to the students, claiming the definitions or concepts as theirs, it is disrespectful for the author who has originally produced the material. The people have spent years researching and writing their piece of work and it is necessary to acknowledge their contribution using the referencing standards. Acknowledging the sources help in satisfying the expectations of the academic community. The community expects rigour and honesty in academic research or writing. Academic cheating can become a legal issue as the colleges and universities have the authority to punish plagiarists in many ways such as expulsion from college. References Bretag, T., Mahmud, S., Wallace, M., Walker, R., McGowan, U., East, J. et al. (2013). Teach us how to do it properly! An Australian academic integrity student survey.Studies In Higher Education,39(7), 1150-1169. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.777406 Charbonneau, D. Priehs, M. (2014). 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