Electronic Plagiarism Seminar

PREVENTING PLAGIARISM: Ethics, Honor Codes

PREVENTING PLAGIARISM:  Ethics, Honor Codes

Honor Codes and Academic Integrity.  Many schools are now implementing an academic integrity policy, or honor code, which seems to be working (downside: one school (UVa) reported that a higher percentage of students of color seem to be turned in [Kelly]). For more information on honor codes and a list of institutions with honor codes and statements on academic integrity (especially the Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity project conducted by the Center), see the Center for Academic Integrity. See also the Center for Applied and Professional Ethics , and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. Modified honor codes are increasingly popular. Teachers may implement class honor codes, or contracts, with their students, which impresses upon the student the seriousness of the issue.

New York State recently enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) (2000), which requires all school districts to adopt codes of conduct. While I have not seen many of these codes, it is my understanding that many of them address the issue of plagiarism. Ask your local district or BOCES for a copy of the code.

Another institute very involved in academic integrity and ethics is the John Templeton Foundation, publisher of the guide Colleges that encourage character development: a resource guide for parents, students, and educators.  (Templeton Foundation Press, 1999).  The web site maintains lists of institutions in the guide, as well as resources (very useful), outstanding presidents, and criteria. The book lists 35 institutions, with half-page descriptions, that have academic honesty programs.

The 2001-02 cases of plagiarism at the University of Virginia (please see bibliography under Argetsinger) shows that plagiarism does indeed take place at institutions with an honor code. Professor Bloomfield has offered the software he developed at U-VA to the the public, and can be accessed at The Plagiarism Resource Center at The University of Virginia http://plagiarism.phys.virginia.edu  .  The software works only for local text downloaded on your own computer, and looks for matching text. 

This page was created on 2 December 1999 and last updated on 2 April 2008.