academic misconduct, research misconduct, and plagiarism...what you need to know

I realize that seeing the title of this blog post might make some students not want to read any further, but clearly understanding what "misconduct" is, and what it means to you as a graduate student is extremely important. As graduate students, we can experience academic misconduct from both sides of the table. As TAs, we may have students who commit academic misconduct in our classes, and as graduate students, we can be accused of, and commit misconduct as well. Misconduct can take many forms. Read on to learn more...

In my time as a graduate student, I have had the opportunity to sit through multiple workshops and presentations on plagiarism, and academic/research misconduct. As instructors and students, you may have heard about programs like "Turn It In" where you can submit papers that students have written and compare them to an online database to look for plagiarism. You also may have heard of accounts of professors, administrators, etc. having their dissertations reviewed years down the road only to find that some of their writing had been plagiarized. As a graduate student working on a thesis, dissertation, or paper, worrying about unintentional plagiarism might be enough to keep you up at night. In the latest issue of Grad Connections, I talked about a resource that was listed on Newswire, Avoiding Plagiarism: A resource for Students and Professionals by Miguel Roig. It's a good read for any graduate student to refresh yourself on what plagiarism is, and provides information on what happens once you've published your research. What about questions of authorship? Do you have to completely read every paper before you can site it yourself? Can you self-plagiarize? Check it out to see what you might not know about plagiarism. You can also view a video from the second session of the Responsible Conduct of Research seminar series offered every fall, Authorship and Publication.

Research misconduct is another serious issue that may be encountered by graduate students in the course of their studies. This can take the form of fabricating results, falsifying results, "stealing" someone else's research ideas, etc. Even if you do not commit research misconduct yourself, it may be something you encounter as a student working in a lab. It may be a fellow student, a lab technician, or even your advisor. Not sure what constitutes research misconduct? Oftentimes, if something doesn't feel right, it isn't.  For more information, please view the PowerPoint presentation, Research Misconduct: Policies and Consequences, also presented as part of the Responsible Conduct of Research seminar series. You will learn more about research misconduct, your responsibility if you observe research misconduct occurring, and the price that other researchers have paid for committing research misconduct. It's a quick way to end your career before it even starts.

As a graduate student, it is also important to understand the policies regarding Academic Misconduct. I know that all you fellow graduate students out there got to graduate school knowing full well what constitutes academic misconduct...and knowing better than to commit academic misconduct yourself. What you might not know about is what to do if you encounter academic misconduct in a class you're instructing. If you are teaching a course, you need to become intimately familiar with the Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures at the University of Arkansas. Know the process, know the steps, know what happens if a student commits (or you suspect a student has committed) academic misconduct in your class.  

Unless you're graduating in the spring or summer, I highly recommend that you register for and attend the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) seminar series in the fall. (Don't worry. I'll remind you again before they start.) If you attend all three seminars, you will receive a certificate of completion, and more importantly, you'll know more about what you can do to avoid falling into a trap.

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Upcoming Events:

Career Fest, Presented by the U of A Career Development Center
April 8 - 11, 2013 - Multiple events and times

For any graduate student who is going to be in the job market soon, it is worth your while to attend some or all of the events at Career Fest. Especially helpful for graduate students who have been out of the job hunting mode for awhile, are the presentations/workshops on Speed Networking/Social Media (Monday, April 8), Dress for Success (Tuesday, April 9) and Professional and Dining Etiquette (Wednesday, April 10). If you get an interview for a faculty or other academic position in the future, you may have to manage three or four different meals with potential future colleagues and administrators. You don't want them to remember you as the candidate who spilled spaghetti sauce all over his/her suit or slurped the soup. 

To find out more, and to register for events, please go to http://career.uark.edu/template/events/careerfest/.

Honing your Research Skills for Employment and Career Advancement
April 18, 2013, 6:00pm

This presentation will focus on key factors that are essential in developing research skills and a scholarly agenda that will serve as the foundation for a career in academe as a scholar or scholar/practitioner. A special emphasis will be placed on moving from the dissertation to peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Fred Bonner will walk session attendees through his process of converting his dissertation to multiple peer-reviewed articles and ultimately to a $1 million dollar grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Registration is required. Please go to http://grad.uark.edu/dean/events/index.php for more information and to register for this event.

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Best of luck finishing out your semester. More blog posts to come about making the best of your summer if you're looking for an academic position. Good luck to those wrapping it up so they can graduate in May. I wish you all the best for success as graduate students and in your future endeavors.

~~ Dawn