Graduate Mastery Blog

Simplifying The Daunting Task Of Citations

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 05:45:18 GMT

The Daunting Task of Citations

If you are studying for a doctoral or master’s degree, you will probably have to write a long-form academic document. Depending on your institution, your document may be called a dissertation for a doctorate or a thesis for a master’s degree. In some other institutions, the document is referred to as a thesis for a doctorate and a dissertation for a master’s degree.

For your research to have an impact and contribute to the body of knowledge in a specific field, it must be trustworthy. Therefore, for your writing to be accepted by other scholars, you have to follow the basic rules and expectations of academic writing.

One of the central tasks in academic writing is to avoid plagiarism. It is taken very seriously in academic institutions. Scholars understand the need to respect the intellectual property rights of other researchers. A central aspect of avoiding plagiarism in academic writing is done through the use of citations.

This means that you always include citations when you use words, ideas, or information from a source, no matter how small or large of a role the information played in your research. If you do not give appropriate recognition to the sources that you use in your thesis or dissertation, your work can be viewed as unreliable and skewed.

All academic writing has a way that it is formatted and laid out. This is generally known as the style of the document.

When writing a research paper, thesis, or dissertation, you will have to decide what citation style to use. Your supervisor should be able to advise you on which citation style to use for your document. Some academic institutions will have a style guide in which the citation style is specified. However, when publishing a journal paper, the journal will prescribe a specific citation style.

There are over 200 formal citation styles used in academic writing, each with its own attributes. Examples of commonly used citation style guides include the American Medical Association (AMA) style, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, the American Psychological Association (APA) style, the Harvard style, and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).

There are three common approaches to citation styles and how citations are presented in a document. This style is in relation to how you connect your text to the citation.

Key identifying details are quoted in parentheses, most commonly using round brackets. These details would include the author's last name and publication date and if relevant the page number.

The citation is broken up into two parts, a number is included in the text quoted in parentheses, often formatted in superscript. This number would then correlate to the applicable number in your numbered reference list at the end of the document.

The note citation is similar to the numerical citation with the exception that the full citation is in a footnote or end-note. The reference in parentheses can use a number or symbol and resets at the start of each page.

Depending on how your text and information are written, the subject of your sentence or a phrase, could change how you approach a specific citation. Are you quoting somebody else's words or are you referring to work done by somebody else concerning your topic?

An in-text citation is a short acknowledgement that you include in the text using a parenthetical citation format. There are two main approaches to in-text citation. Some citations focus on the person and some focus on the subject discussed in the sentence.

An author-prominent citation also called a writer-focused citation, is where the focus is on the author in the sentence. The author’s last name, year of publication, and page number or paragraph number are usually included in the citation.

Smith (2010) found that most of the users of Social Medium M were younger than 35 (p. 1).

In this example, the author’s name is placed in the text of the sentence, with a reference to the page number at the end of the sentence.

In subject-prominent citations, also called idea-focused citations, the focus of the sentence is on the story that you are conveying in your writing.

Many Social Medium M users are younger than 35 (Smith, 2010, p. 1). The author’s name and year of publication are placed at the end of the sentence with the page number.

Quotations are cited in a specific manner. A quotation is a passage of someone else’s words. When you cite a quotation, you should do the following:

The quoted text should be enclosed in quotation marks, or formatted as a block quote.
The period should be placed specifically in different types of quotations.
The original author(s) should be correctly cited.
The text should be identical to the original text.

If you name the author(s) in your sentence, you may use present-tense verbs, such as "states", "argues", "explains", "writes" or "reports" to describe the content of the quote.

Quotation marks are used for short quotations and block quotations for long quotations. Short quotations are placed in a sentence, while a block quotation is formatted into a separate ‘block’ of text.

Quotation marks are not used in block quotations, instead, you should place the text on a new line and indent the entire quote to separate it from your own words. If you are writing according to the APA style, for example, block quotations are 40 words or longer.

Smith (2010) states, "With the exponential growth of the internet, students find sourcing appropriate literary sources difficult" (para. 3). [Fictitious quote.] [Author-prominent citation.],

"With the exponential growth of the internet, students find sourcing appropriate literary sources difficult" (Smith, 2010, para. 3). [Fictitious quote.] [Subject-prominent citation.]

When using APA and MLA styles, your indented block should be 0.5 inches from the left, and the in-text citation should be placed after the period. You should check the rules of the style that you are using; it may have different specifications.

Students find academic writing a daunting task.

With the exponential growth of the internet, students find sourcing appropriate literary sources for their literature reviews difficult. This impacts the quality of their literature reviews, which often do not cover their field of study adequately. Lacking sufficient citations could influence an examiner’s assessment. (Smith, 2010, p. 5) [Fictitious quote.]

Over-citing is probably safer than under-citing. Here are a few questions that you can ask when you cite.

Did I provide adequate commentary on the cited material?

The cited material should illustrate and support your story, rather than be a substitute for it. This means that you should avoid giving the reader a collection of sourced material without providing your interpretation of the sourced material.

Have I used the cited material to support the main idea of my story?

All cited material should contribute to the main argument that you are making in your thesis or dissertation. You should always keep in mind what the focus of your story is.

Have I relied too heavily on one source?

When writing up your research, you should ensure that you include a variety of sources covering several years. The body of knowledge in each discipline grows at different rates, for example, if you are writing up research about tree breeding, your sources may stretch over up to 30 years. On the other hand, because publications in molecular biological research appear far more frequently, citations that cover the recent few years should give good coverage of the literature.

Have I included too many quotations?

In academic writing, we mostly rely on paraphrasing when using other sources. Paraphrasing demonstrates your understanding of your topic and allows you to highlight which ideas contribute to your main argument. Overpopulating your writing with quotations gives the impression that you are unable to interpret sourced knowledge and need the words of other scholars to make a point.

Did I begin and end my paragraphs in my own voice?

The first sentence of each paragraph should be your topic sentence, and the last sentence should conclude the point of the paragraph and lead to the next. Between the introduction and closing of the paragraph, citations should occur.

Have I balanced the use of author-prominent and subject-prominent citations?

A paragraph that is overpopulated with author-prominent citations could create in the mind of the reader the idea of ‘this person said this, this person said this, and this person said this. ' When you use too many author-prominent citations, the reader might lose the point of your story. You should therefore use author-prominent citations with care and only when you feel an author’s prominence requires an author-prominent citation.

Each citation style has specifications for the different classes of sources. Here are a few examples of citations for the different classes of sources that you may use in your thesis or dissertation.

Smith (2010) found that most of the users of social media were younger than 35 (p. 1).

Many social media users are younger than 35 (Smith, 2010, p. 1).

Use the title of the source in your citation.

Many students in higher education use various social media platforms to source literature for their research ("Use of Social Media in Higher Education," 2015, p. 10).

For a subsequent citation, use an abbreviated form of the title.

Many students in higher education use various social media platforms to source literature for their research ("Higher Education," 2015, p. 10).

Two authors:

Smith and Jones (2010) found that most of the users of social media were younger than 35 (p. 1).

Many social media users are younger than 35 (Smith & Jones, 2010, p. 1).

Three or more authors:

Use the first author’s name in the citation and replace the other authors' names with "et al."

Smith et al. (2010) found that most of the users of social media were younger than 35 (p. 1).

Many social media users are younger than 35 (Smith et al., 2010, p. 1).

Usually, the end-of-sentence citation is used with the sources listed alphabetically or chronologically (depending on the citation style), and separated with a semicolon.

Many students in higher education use various social media platforms to source literature for their research (Jones, 2012, p. 1; Smith, 2010, p. 5).

Information that comes from organisations, government agencies, corporations, or some other type of group can be expressed without an author’s name. Include the full title of the organisation the first time you use the citation. Thereafter, use an abbreviation, e.g., United Nations (UN) or World Health Organisation (WHO).

The South African Department of Health (SADH) (2007) reported that the school feeding program has improved the general health of primary school pupils. [Fictitious statement.]

Sometimes you paraphrase the work of an expert mentioned in an article. However, the expert is not the author of the article you are reading. In your text, you need to mention the expert’s first and last names in the first citation and cite the article. In subsequent citations, only give the expert’s last name.

UW psychology professor Kristin Wang claims international students with a minimum of one foreign friend adapt to college life more easily (as cited in Patel, 2016, p. 8).

Subsequent citation:

Wang goes on to say... (as cited in Patel, 2016, p. 8).

Use the end-of-sentence citation; include the full title in quotation marks if short; otherwise, add only the first few words of a long title. Include the year (if known) or write n.d. (for "no date") if the date is unknown.

More students than ever are choosing majors such as engineering and computer science since more high-paying jobs are available in these fields ("Pursuing Careers in STEM," n.d., para. 2).

A reference manager can be an academic author's best friend. Reference management software, also referred to as citation management software, or bibliographic management software, is software that you can use for recording and using bibliographic citations as well as managing your references.

Reference managers offer in-text citation templates for a variety of citation styles. Once you have recorded a citation, it can be used repeatedly to generate bibliographies, such as lists of references in scholarly articles, theses, and dissertations. Most reference management tools enable you to source references from online libraries and can perform several time-saving functions.

Import references from databases and web pages.
Organise, group and store references in folders.
Capture and store full-text articles.
Create bibliographies in the citation style and document format of your choice.
Integrate with Microsoft Word through an add-in, so you can insert in-text citations and create a bibliography as you write.

There are many reference managers available. Some are free and others require a paid-for licence. Zotero, JabRef and Mendeley are free, while Endnote and RefWorks are well-known commercial managers that you have to pay for.

Managing, writing and formatting citations and references can be a challenge for even experienced academics. If you find the task difficult or overwhelming when citing sources in your thesis or dissertation, don't hesitate to reach out and ask for help. Graduate Mastery provides academic writing coaching and mentoring services and can advise and assist you in adding citations and generating bibliographies.

What is a Thesis?

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 06:07:58 GMT

What is a Thesis?

To be a thesis, or not to be - The term "thesis" is a common word in academia and tertiary education. Another companion term to "thesis" is the term "dissertation". These two terms are often confused, and dictionaries are not helpful.

The interchangeable use of these terms causes even more confusion, as colleges and universities also get them confused. Making it even more confusing, departments in the same institution sometimes use the terms differently. The terms also have different meanings to different people. An instruction to write a thesis by one supervisor may mean something quite different to another supervisor.

It is no surprise that students find it difficult to understand what is a thesis, and what is a dissertation. What we know is that the word thesis and dissertation are used mostly for documents that students write to obtain a master’s or doctoral degree, with this final document sometimes referred to as the Capstone project to the degree.

Depending on which side of the Atlantic you live, the terms thesis and dissertation are often used differently. In the United States, for example, a thesis is most often written by a master’s student, and a dissertation by a doctoral candidate.

In Europe and other parts of the world, including South Africa, a thesis is completed by a doctoral candidate and a dissertation by a master’s student.

To confuse matters even further, you might be asked to write a "thesis statement" as part of an essay or project and wonder how all these terms relate to one another.

When embarking on postgraduate studies and to avoid confusion, it is important to understand exactly what is expected of your writing for a master's qualification or a doctorate. Irrespective of the names given to the documents, it is therefore important you consult your academic supervisor for clarity.

The word "thesis" originates from the Greek word "tithenai", which means "to place or position". Later, this evolved to the Latin word ‘thesis,’ which has two meanings, "an abstract question" and "to put something forward".

The word dissertation originates from the Latin word "dissertare", which means "to continue to discuss". The Latin word "disserere" means to "examine and discuss".

The meanings of the words "thesis" and "dissertation" in academia have become quite confounded. They are used in different ways by different people, bringing about much confusion to postgraduate students. But let us try to sort out their sounder meanings.

The modern definition of a thesis is "to propose an argument or hypothesis". In terms of a postgraduate academic document, a thesis is a document in which you make a proposition which is maintained by an argument. A dissertation, on the other hand, is simply defined as a lengthy, formal academic document. One can probably understand why thesis and dissertation can be used interchangeably. Both are lengthy academic documents written towards a postgraduate qualification. It is therefore important that, through discussions with your academic supervisor, you obtain a clear understanding of what is expected of your document so that you can be awarded a degree at your institution.

When the term "thesis" is combined with the term "statement", the meaning is about defining your argument in a short statement. In layman's terms, a "thesis statement" is a short introduction to your academic document, in which you frame your argument or claim. It can be used in many different academic documents. A good thesis statement would consist of a few short sentences making a claim that is developed, supported, and explained in the text by means of examples and evidence to produce your academic document.

To avoid the confusion that exists between the words, thesis, and dissertation, let us rather refer to these documents simply as academic documents.

The pinnacle of academic studies and proof that you are an expert in a topic comes in the form of a PhD or Doctorate and with prestige. Towards completing a PhD, you need to complete a long-form document. This document is like a Master’s document but is substantially longer and is generally written to put forward the results of original research.

Similarities between doctoral and master’s academic documents:

Both are research papers.
Both are written as part of achieving higher degrees.
Both are similar in structure.

Differences between doctoral and master’s studies

Scope
Assessment
Duration of study
Length of the document
Word count of the document (varies greatly)

Working towards a doctorate usually requires a master’s degree as a prerequisite. However, not all master’s degrees require an academic document as a final Capstone project. Therefore, before you embark on a master’s programme, first establish if a long-form final document is required, and make sure that you are willing to do the work required for such a degree.

A master’s programme that requires an academic document will generally take longer to complete and for good reason. There are several advantages to submitting an academic document for your qualification.

During your research, you will dive deeply into a topic and learn several new skills. You will experience a feeling of satisfaction once you have successfully completed the difficult and comprehensive task of doing the research and writing up your results.

Your final academic document is something to show with pride and could become the springboard to your future career. Particularly with employers who often prefer job applicants who have completed a master’s degree. A master’s degree is a showcase of your skills and demonstrates your authority on a topic. Top master’s graduates often publish their research in academic journals giving them an even higher level of credibility and prestige.

Master’s and doctoral academic documents have the same basic format, which also has similarities with published research articles. Because examiners have expectations when grading documents, it is important to avoid deviating too much from the expected structure.

A master’s document should reveal that you understand the research process and is substantially shorter than a doctoral document. In a doctoral academic document, you should demonstrate that you are an expert on a topic in a specific disciple, besides showing that you can do research.

A postgraduate document, whether a thesis or dissertation, should include the following basic sections.

The introduction of your document explains the topic and central argument you plan on making. It should present the reasons for choosing the topic, the aims of your research and the scope. You should also summarise your methodology and provide a brief summary of the structure of your document.

In your literature review, you should review the current body of knowledge and pre-existing research on your chosen topic. This would include looking at research papers, relevant studies, journal articles or any other relevant area of information you might find on the topic.

In your literature review, you are expected to identify gaps and weaknesses in the existing research that supports your claims and arguments.

In your methodology section, you should refer to the strategy and rationale of your research project. This section should include the methods that you used and the theories or principles that support them.

You should clearly show your approach to the development of your objectives, being the steps you took to execute your research. Methods are the specific tools and procedures used to collect and analyse your data (experiments, surveys, and statistical tests).

After completing your research, you need to present the results and findings. Typically, you should simply present and describe your data and not discuss the meaning. This is where you present your analysed data using graphs, graphics, or tables. The discussion of their meaning is usually presented in the discussion section. However, some supervisors may expect you to combine the results and discussion into one chapter.

Now that you have presented your results, you need to interpret and explain the meaning. It is important to connect your research to your current understanding of the topic by relating your results to the work of other scholars in the field. Finally, state your conclusions and suggest potential future research.

How your thesis or dissertation is graded and assessed varies from department to department and from institution to institution. When you embark on your studies, your academic supervisor should provide you with details on the grading process and grading requirements.

The most common grading process involves a group of examiners who will read your document and grade it according to the specifications of your institution. If you are being graded for a doctorate, at some institutions you could also be expected to present your research in person to a committee of academic scholars. This oral presentation is commonly referred to as a viva. The viva is a form of academic panel interview where you present your research and scholars can ask you questions.

The process of taking on a master's or doctoral qualification and writing up your research in a thesis or dissertation can be daunting and very overwhelming. Unfortunately, help and guidance may be limited at your institution. There is no need to let the stress and fear cause you such distress and compromise your choice of doing postgraduate studies.

There is help available, you only need to go looking for it. You could ask for help from your peers or from external consultants that are academic writing coaches and mentors.

What is Academic Writing

Sun, 21 May 2023 08:24:00 GMT

What is Academic Writing?

As we travel through life, we constantly experience learning. From the moment that we are born, our brains and bodies start to grow and learn. Over time, this learning process will change and evolve. A large amount of our learning will be formal, while other types of learning are more informal, largely based on our life experiences and our approach to challenges. Sometimes these learning processes are easy and natural, like learning to walk, however, in some instances they can be very challenging, filled with fear, and can be very intimidating.

Once you enter the world of tertiary education, you are required to learn many new skills. One of these skills is the ability to share and communicate your academic work effectively. Mostly, you will be expected to write and share your work using the more formal way of writing, referred to as academic writing. During your studies towards a qualification, you will be expected to write several academic documents, all with their own formats, rules, and structures. However, one significant problem that you will face is that learning the skills regarding the complex art of academic writing is often neglected in academic institutions.

The daunting task of writing an academic document, such as a thesis or dissertation may take months, sometimes years to plan and execute. Often with little or no guidance to help you complete this task. If you do not know where or how to start, the task will feel like an indescribably large undertaking, bringing with it an incredibly large amount of fear, apprehension and doubt.

This feeling of doubt and anxiety is a normal response and is common among students. However, if not dealt with, it can lead to an overwhelming amount of stress and negative outcomes, where your stress becomes a major deciding factor around the success of your studies.

We find that a key element to reducing anxiety is understanding the expectations of academic writing. Academic writing can broadly be separated into the words to use, language, and writing style, on the one hand, and then the format or structure of your document, on the other hand.

The next step in producing an academic document is to understand the process of writing a document. This refers to the "how" aspect of academic writing. How to write an academic document is rarely taught at academic institutions. If you know how to write a document, your stress and anxiety will reduce and become more manageable, and you will learn to construct a document by weaving in terms and words that are specific to your field of study.

It is also worth remembering that there is always help available, regardless of your situation. You can get help from peers, or you can pay for help from an academic writing mentor. We find the price you pay for help is often insignificantly small when compared to the cost of your education, the stress involved, and the future benefits in the form of time saved and results.

If you are writing an essay, research paper, literature review or thesis, your supervisor, examiner, or publisher will have specific expectations concerning the length, format, structure, style, fonts, language, and the way citations and references are included. All these expectations together are commonly known as the academic writing style guide or academic writing format.

Some institutions are rather strict when it comes to the style of a document, and would expect you to use a specific style guide. This style guide could be their own, in-house style guide or a widely used common style guide. Examples of commonly used style guides are the American Medical Association (AMA) style guide, the Modern Language Association (MLA) guide and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).

In some instances, a specific style guide is not an expectation. It is thus up to you to apply the general rules and norms of academic writing, or you may select a commonly used style guide.

Beyond the formatting and structure of an academic document, the words you use and how you construct your content and arguments matter. Academic writing has a formal, clear, and concise style of writing, which you will rarely see in public writing, fictional books or blog articles.

Many students are unfamiliar with the formal nature of academic writing and find it a struggle. However, you need to understand what is expected in academic writing and what is barred from academic writing.

Academic writing is:

Formal
Unbiased
Clear and precise
Critical
Objective
Explicit
Focused and well-structured
Well sourced
Correct and consistent

Academic writing is not:

Personal
Long-winded
Emotive
Biased
Implicit
Unfocused

There are several different types of academic documents, depending on the context and purpose of the document. Before starting a new writing project or assignment, you should first understand what type of document you intend writing, because this influences your planning and approach to your writing as well as the length of your document.

An academic essay is a relatively short piece of writing, that is self-contained and supports a specific point. It's focused and develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation. Most essays at the university level are argumentative and aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

A research proposal is a structured, formal document that explains what your research topic is about, why you think it is worth researching, and how you plan to do the research. The purpose of the research proposal is to convince your research supervisor or your university’s research committee that your research project is suitable and manageable. Such proposals are thus submitted before you are allowed to commence with your research project. Research proposals are also submitted as requests for funding or sponsorship.

A research paper is an in-depth and comprehensive document reporting on completed research and demonstrates an author's understanding of a specific research topic. Research papers are generally framed around a research question for which an answer was sought through doing research. The findings of the research will form the focus of a research paper. A research paper may thus contain the results of original research or could be the evaluation of research conducted by other scholars. Most papers undergo a process of peer review before they can be accepted for publication in an academic journal.

Theses and dissertations are academic documents submitted at a university as part of achieving a qualification. Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably, where some universities refer to a thesis as a document submitted for a doctorate and a dissertation for a master's qualification. At other universities, it is the other way around, where a dissertation is submitted for a doctorate and a thesis for a master's.

These confusing differences in the use of the term thesis and dissertation are broadly country-specific. Countries West of the Atlantic and in the Americas generally use the word thesis concerning a master's and a dissertation with a doctorate. Countries East of the Atlantic in Europe, including the United Kingdom and South Africa, use these terms the other way around.

However, these documents are named, theses and dissertations are large projects that demonstrate a student’s candidacy for the awarding of a degree by posing a question, doing research, and then presenting a written document in which the findings are presented together with arguments to support their position in their field of study. Both doctoral and master's documents are done under the guidance of an academic supervisor within the rules of a particular academic institution.

Overall, the format of theses and dissertations are similar. However, the length will vary as the expectations, depth of knowledge and standard required of a doctoral document is much higher than that of a master's.

A literature review is an academic document that evaluates and summarises an academic topic through the analysis of the work of other scholars. An author would review published scholarly books, articles, presentations, theses, dissertations, or any other published academic material.

Students studying towards a doctoral or master’s degree will also conduct a literature review as part of their journey towards attaining their degree. Through the critical analysis of existing academic material on a topic, a student uses a literature review to inform their approach to their research project.

Lab and technical reports are different descriptions for mostly the same thing. These reports convey the aim, methods, results, and conclusions of scientific research. They are commonly used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. These reports are usually consulted by students when working towards doctoral and master’s degrees while writing up their academic documents.

Reports are also written and submitted to a sponsor or funding organisation as evidence of the progress of a research project. Such a report may provide recommendations based on the outcomes of the research. These reports rarely undergo a formal peer-review process. However, they are often used as the foundation and input to another academic document or publication.

An annotated bibliography is a list of source references on a topic that includes a brief description or evaluation of each source. It may be assigned as part of the research process for a paper, or as an individual assignment to gather and read relevant sources on a topic.

Bibliographies are often independent documents with a specific format, usually in paragraph format, that summarises the sources in a way that the reader can understand the context of each source. A bibliography should provide the reader with a good overview of the research and findings on a specific topic.

One of the best methods to learn the basics of academic writing is to read existing publications and examples. Through reading, you will learn what is good and what is bad academic writing. Reading is a low barrier to entry method of learning how different documents are structured, their lengths, and how arguments are framed and presented.

If the institution where you are registered requires a specific style guide? We recommend you ask your academic supervisor to give you access to examples of existing papers and publications. So that you can, through reading, obtain a better understanding of the particular writing style expected of you.

An existing publication that has already gone through a peer-review process and has been published. Combined with the required writing style guide will often help you to get a picture of the road ahead and elevate some of the anxiety and stress.

Academic Integrity And Why It Matters

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 06:35:18 GMT

Academic Integrity And Why It Matters

Much of our society and advancements as a species are built on the advancements of scientific discoveries and research. Science is also additive in that past discoveries and research inform the assumptions and foundations of future research and discoveries. Meaning that reliable information and research form the backbone of the academic world and, by extension, the foundation of human society.

Because future researchers build on past researcher's work if any dishonesty or fraud is found, it jeopardises everything related to it, connected to it or that was built on it. Threatening the foundation and integrity of what makes scientific advancement possible.

As a result, the processes, conduct, integrity and findings of academics and students form the heart and foundation of the academic world.

Academic integrity is a set of values and practices that expect you to behave in a manner that is honest, fair, respectful, and responsible in your studies and academic work. Simply put, it means doing your own work, not cheating, and not presenting the work of others as your own.

Integrity means that you adhere to moral and ethical principles and that you are honest and of moral character.

Therefore, academic integrity is about who you are as a person, and how you conduct yourself as an academic.

Academic integrity is the foundation of all academic institutions. These values are expected of both staff and students. Without the maintenance of high standards of integrity in an academic institution, staff and students are unfairly treated, and society and the advancement of humanity are poorly served.

In the business world, if a company or people involved in a commercial venture behave in a manner that is questionable, unethical or fraudulent. The consequences generally only affect them and anyone directly associated with them. With collateral damage only really extending as far as their customers and investors.

In the academic world, because of the way science functions and the fact that it can be published anywhere in the world. Research can be built upon, utilised, and informed by any member of society, anywhere in the world. Any questionable behaviour or fraud, regardless of how small, can easily end careers, destroy reputations, have long-term consequences, and impact far beyond the original source of dishonesty.

Do all your own work and research.
Write your own documents and avoid plagiarism.
Always cite your sources properly.
Never change the results of an experiment to suit an outcome.
Take a questionnaire or quiz without help from textbooks or friends.
Report someone who you suspect has cheated in an exam or assignment.
Report all conflicts of interest.
Avoid letting personal biases or financial conflicts affect results.

By practising integrity in your studies, research, and publications, you build trust in your scholarly community and among the greater academic community. When an academic is viewed as trustworthy, their work is viewed in higher regard and trusted more and seen as more valuable.

Your work can be trusted if your academic work is underpinned by honesty, trust, and respect.
Academic integrity is important because it gives value to your degree.
Employers prefer to hire graduates whom they believe to have high personal integrity.
You can be relied upon, because you act honestly and do what you say you will do.
Because you behave consistently in an honest manner, people trust you.
Trustworthiness is one of the key characteristics of a successful leader.
Your work brings honour and prestige to your faculty and institution.

Although most students understand what is academic integrity, dishonesty remains common. Common behaviours leading to an undermining of academic integrity are pressure to achieve, time management struggles, difficulty with a course and financial conflicts of interest.

Academic dishonesty hurts you, your peers, and the learning process.

Unfair to the plagiarised author.
Unfair to other students who did not cheat.
Damages your own learning.
Harms your reputation.
Wastes money.
Harmful if published research contains misleading information.
Dangerous if you do not learn the fundamentals of academic practice, such as conducting experiments.

Being successful in life relies greatly on our ability to trust each other. Developing good ethical habits while you are studying will help you when you start your working career to face ethical issues.

Acting with integrity can also reduce unnecessary stress in your life and make you feel happier, healthier, and more productive.

Academic dishonesty, also called academic misconduct refers to actions that undermine academic integrity.

Common types of misconduct

Plagiarism: Defined as copying someone else’s work and passing it off as your own, without giving proper credit.
Cheating: Using unauthorised sources or devices to help you achieve an outcome you would not have achieved on your own.
Contract cheating: Paying or bribing someone to help you cheat.
Facilitation of academic dishonesty: Helping others cheat.
Collusion: Working together with others to cheat.
Data fabrication: Misrepresenting the results of your research.
Deceit: Lying or falsifying information.

As a postgraduate student, you will conduct research by gathering data, analysing the data, and interpreting the data. Once you have the findings of the research, you will have to write up your research.

If you are studying towards a doctoral or master’s degree, you will probably have to write a long-form academic document. Depending on your institution, your document may be called a dissertation or a thesis. When writing up your thesis or dissertation, you must apply the rules of academic writing, as you could easily be guilty of some or other form of misconduct.

Common examples of academic dishonesty in postgraduate studies:

A student plagiarises another person’s work in their thesis or dissertation.
A student pays someone to do their experimental work or research.
A student pays someone to write their thesis or dissertation.
A student does not give people credit for their ideas or academic work.
A student falsifies or misrepresents experimental/research results.

Being dishonest may lead to a disciplinary hearing, which could end in your expulsion. Students who are found guilty of academic misconduct may find it difficult to secure a job.

In postgraduate studies, students are often guilty of plagiarism. Mostly, they plagiarise when writing up their theses or dissertations.

Common examples of plagiarism:

Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit.
Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks.
Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation.
Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit.

The best way to avoid plagiarism is to ensure you cite your work correctly. See our blog post for a detailed explanation of how to manage citations in your thesis.

Basics of academic citations:

Cite another person’s idea, opinion, or theory.
Cite facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common knowledge.
Use quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words.
Cite when you paraphrase another person’s spoken or written words.

One of the best ways of protecting your academic reputation is to get help with your thesis or dissertation, in the form of an academic mentor.

Graduate Mastery provides academic writing coaching and mentoring services and can advise review and assist you in your academic writing and ensuring your reputation as an academic is seen as honest and acting with integrity.