1. New Student Orientation Module 4: Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
UMass Amherst MPH-PHP
New Student Orientation
Module 4: Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Hello, and welcome to the UMass Amherst MPH-PHP new student Orientation module 4. In this module we will briefly discuss the University’s academic honesty policy and I will provide some resources to help you with academic writing.

2. General Information: Academic Honesty
All matriculated students in the online MPH-PHP degree program are responsible for knowing and abiding by the policies outlined herein.
All questions concerning Academic Honesty should be directed to the Ombuds office:
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm EST
phone
fax
It is important that all UMass students become familiar with the University’s policy on Plagiarism and Academic Honesty. As a student you are required to read the policy and abide by the rules set forth.
The next few slides will provide the Academic Honesty statement, some resources and some examples. Please note that all questions concerning the policy and it’s implementation by faculty and the department should be directed to the Universities Ombuds office. I have provided the contact information for the office.
If you run into trouble, please do not hesitate to contact the Ombuds office. They are here to help.

3. Academic Honesty: Statement
Academic dishonesty is prohibited in all programs of the University. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty. Appropriate sanctions may be imposed on any student who has committed an act of academic dishonesty. Instructors should take reasonable steps to address academic misconduct. Any person who has reason to believe that a student has committed academic dishonesty should bring such information to the attention of the appropriate course instructor as soon as possible. Instances of academic dishonesty not related to a specific course should be brought to the attention of the appropriate department Head or Chair. The procedures outlined below are intended to provide an efficient and orderly process by which action may be taken if it appears that academic dishonesty has occurred and by which students may appeal such actions.
The statement on this slide is the introduction to the Academic Honesty Policy. It defines dishonesty, introduces the concept of sanctions, and outlines the responsibility of the faculty to report and your responsibility to report should you witness dishonesty. In the online environment you will not likely witness other students cheating. However, in the online environment, you may be tempted to cheat or plagiarize. The department assumes all students are here to learn and will do so in an honest manner.

4. Academic Honesty: resources
All students should read and be familiar with the policy. To read the entire policy please visit: pdf
Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of such standards is not normally sufficient evidence of lack of intent.
The link to the entire policy can be found in the Module 4 additional resources section. I highly encourage you to read it and be aware of your responsibilities and your rights.

5. Academic Honesty: Examples
• Copying 4 or more words consecutively without using quotation marks or citing the source • Summarizing or paraphrasing ideas or opinions without giving credit to the source • Turning in the same work for more than one course without the consent of both instructors • Purchasing, downloading, borrowing, reusing or hiring someone to do your work • Using unauthorized materials or copying from another person during an exam • Collaborating on work when you have been instructed to work independently • Facilitating the academic dishonesty of another person
These are some common examples of dishonesty. …..

6. Academic Honesty: Online Learning
Examples:
Failure to properly cite
Turning in the same work for more than one course without the consent of both instructors
Purchasing, downloading, borrowing, reusing or hiring someone to do your work
Giving your blackboard log in credentials to anyone else.
Turning in assignments completed by someone else.
As students in the online MPH program you are expected to abide by the exact same standards as all University students.
The SPHHS online MPH department uses the following tools to combat academic dishonesty:
All faculty utilize “SafeAssign” or “TurnItIn” software to analyze all written papers and assignments
All students are expected to have and keep safe an individual log-in and password for spire and blackboard. Sharing of your credentials, even with your spouse is a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy
We are always considering new technologies and will make these required of all students once implemented
Some additional examples of how one can be dishonest in the online environment include, failure to properly cite or plagiarize, turning in the same work for more than one course, purchasing work done by someone else, revealing your blackboard credentials to someone else.
To combat plagiarism all faculty use plagiarism software. SafeAssign, or TurnItIn are both used by the department and are integrated into blackboard. Both software packages have extensive databases which are searched, as well they are able to search millions of website, government and other public documents, all published journals and industry trade magazines and textbooks.
The department also works to implement new technologies, such as voice or fingerprint recognition software. We are currently testing voice recognition and if the testing goes well, it will be integrated into blackboard.

7. Plagiarism: Common Pitfalls
One of the most common plagiarism pitfalls for graduate students is: improper citation techniques. Knowing when and how to cite sources in your writing is key to success.
In the online MPH program, you are not required to use one standard citation technique. Most instructors require you to use APA style. However, others leave this up to the student.
It is recommended that you pick one and stick with it through the program. The more you use just one technique, the better able you are to use it.
If your place of employment requires a specific citation style, you are encouraged to use this one.
I want to talk for a few moments about the common pitfalls of plagiarism. The Academic Honesty includes the following in their definition of dishonesty: Copying 4 or more words consecutively without using quotation marks or citing the source and Summarizing or paraphrasing ideas or opinions without giving credit to the source
One of the most challenging aspects of moving from a professional organization back into academia, is in a professional setting, you have access to and permission to use published materials. In academia most published or even unpublished work is owned by the author and you must ask for permission to use it.
As you move back into academia it is important the you relearn how to properly use information. This includes properly citing the work of someone else. There are many styles used to cite work. In the online MPH program we do not insist that one style should be used, instead this is up to the faculty member. For the most part, faculty will request you use APA citation style. However, some faculty allow the student to decide which technique they will use. My advice to is choose one and use is consistently though out the program. If there is a style you use in your profession, I highly encourage you to use this one. The important thing is to learn the style and be consistent.

8. Writing/Citation Resources
The UMass Library System has a writing resource center, which all online students have access to. Please visit their site:
The following resources give step by step citation instructions for the APA formatting style. The Purdue OWL site also has optional citation styles ( I love Purdue OWL).
(General APA)
(in-text citations)
(general APA)
On Writing Well-by William Zinsser
In order to help you further the UMass library system has a writing resource center that is open to online students. They can help with editing papers and providing guidance on the writing process. You can find the link to this service on the module 4 additional resources section
My favorite APA style “how to” site is the University of Purdue OWL site. You can find links to this website in the Module 4 additional resources section. The site is extremely easy to use and breaks down how to cite and when. When to use quotation marks as opposed to paraphrasing by indenting. As well, how to in-text cite, foot note, and the difference between a works cited page and a references page. It also covers running headers and page numbering among many other topics.
You may also find the book “on Writing Well” by William Zinsser to be valuable. I used this reference throughout my 12 years of university and have used it as a reference in my Junior year writing course.

9. Thank You!
Thank you for completing Module 4. In the next and last module, we will discuss the global health certificate, how you can join us on social media, and discuss some odds and ends. (really just things I left out!
Have a great day