"Academic honesty is an issue of critical importance in colleges today. Charles Lipson's book is refreshingly entertaining, non-preachy, and practical: it gives students useful strategies for citing both published and web-based work correctly, and should be of real value for students from all fields."
       -David Oxtoby, President, Pomona College

Index

"Offers the best coverage of the principles of academic honesty and their practical applications that I have seen in any publication for college students. This book fills a significant gap in publications available to students. The comprehensive information about citation styles will make this book one that students will refer to frequently."
       - Susan Art, Dean of Students in the College, University of Chicago

Charles Lipson's book "Doing Honest Work in College" has been a major tool in DePauw's academic integrity initiative.
      - Marnie McInnes, Dean of Academic Life, DePauw University

"Charles Lipson's book is an invaluable reference guide for the college student. Clearly written and full of useful examples, Lipson's book shows the reader precisely how to navigate the difficulties associated in writing college papers and assessments. Anyone who reads this book will know how to avoid plagiarism and how to present their ideas in the most effective way possible. It is the kind of book that a student needs on their shelf in order to have ready access to the advice of a real professional in how to write and cite properly. I enjoyed reading the book immensely, and can happily recommend it to any college student concerned to learn in a very practical way how to present their work. This is a very useful book."
       -Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor [UK version of university president], University of Exeter

"The greatest challenge currently facing first-year college students and their instructors is the reality of plagiarism and the need for academic integrity.  Doing Honest Work in College is an excellent resource for students at any academic level because it affirms the principles of honesty and integrity that our profession so firmly pursues.  I also recommend it to all my classes as a powerful tool for research and information literacy.  As a handbook for college writing, style, and format, it is extremely helpful to any student, at any level, in any discipline."
       -Susannah Mary Chewning, Department of English, Union County (NJ) College

"Lipson's book explains in clear and concise language not simply how to avoid plagiarism but more importantly how to pursue independent research. His book did more than any other to help me teach my students how to produce sound scholarly work. It is a 'must-have' for those concerned with teaching undergraduates writing and research skills."
       -Dawn Odell, Department of Art and Art History, Virginia Tech

"It's important for you to know about Dr. Charles Lipson's very useful guide for college students. I've just read it, so I've had an excellent refresher course on all these issues. Particularly given the rash of high-profile scholarly plagiarism/dishonesty cases we've seen over the years, it might not be such a bad idea for everyone in academia - not just new college students - to be periodically required to read through a guide on doing honest work."
       -Erika Dreifus, review in Community College Week

"Sets a public standard" for academic integrity.
       - John Boyer, Dean of the College and Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor of History, University of Chicago

"The Faculty of Arts [at McGill] will be giving out free copies of Charles Lipson's book, Doing Honest Work in College to incoming students. 'It is a very good book [according to Dean Enrica Quaroni] that tells students about academic integrity, why it is important to do honest work, gives good and bad examples of paraphrasing, provides tips on how to take notes so students are always aware of which words are theirs and which aren't, and finally, gives examples of various citation styles. We felt that this was an important step to take as a preventative and educational measure.' "
       -Enrica Quaroni, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, McGill University, quoted in McGill News (alumni magazine)

"[Brown University's Associate Dean of the College Carol] Cohen is particularly impressed by a pilot program that was launched last fall at the University of Chicago, during which administrators distributed to entering freshmen a new book by Charles Lipson, a political scientist at the school, called Doing Honest Work in College—How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. . . .

Lipson’s book is a readable, informal, and practical guide to the essence and principles of ethical scholarship, as well as a handy reference guide to writing citations. The first part of the book articulates three principles that sum up the spirit of integrity that underlies the rules, and it addresses how these principles apply to each aspect of academic life, “from your first class to your final exam.” One section is specifically devoted to Internet research. A chapter on plagiarism illustrates with concrete examples how to paraphrase correctly, a common point of confusion for students. The second part of the book details how to write a proper citation for everything from a journal to an Internet site in the accepted style for particular fields.

Chicago’s incoming students read the book in a core humanities course required of all freshmen. Section leaders were then available to address any doubts and answer any questions. The goal was to make sure all entering students know the ground rules and have the same reference book to use throughout their college years. Lipson emphasizes the importance of letting students know explicitly what is expected of them.

Dean Cohen says the book’s combination of general principles and concrete rules offers what students seem to be missing. “I don’t think in the end that this is just an ethical question.” she says. “It is an ethical as well as a ‘what does this world mean?’ kind of question. ‘What is the world of scholarship I have just entered?’"
       -Linda Heuman in Brown Alumni Magazine

"Plagiarism is occurring at an increasing rate in schools and universities, and it's not just the students who are violating the "fundamental rules for academic integrity." Reading Lipson's new book, Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, is a hug step toward prevention for any writer. Although the information and the message is directed to beginning college students, such comprehensive coverage of academic honesty would be helpful to anyone involved with writing and publishing, even those deciding policy or working with appeals.

This is an easy book to read and a useful book to keep on your reference shelf. . . . It's nice to know that helpful publications such as Lipson's book are available . . . ."
       -Bonita L. Wilcox, National Council of Teachers of English, English Leadership Quarterly (book review)

Valuable lesson

U. of C. joins college trend of requiring all freshmen to start with a shared experience: Reading the same book before classes begin

By Patrick T. Reardon
Chicago Tribune staff reporter

September 29, 2004

This week, as 1,300 freshmen started classes at the University of Chicago, they were handed a new book, hot from the printer, about academic honesty.

"Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success" by U. of C. political science professor Charles Lipson (208 pages, University of Chicago Press, $13) explains the mundane details of how to write footnotes and cite sources. But, more important, particularly in the Internet era, it also spells out in clear, direct prose what is and isn't ethical in the world of research papers and midterm exams.

"It's a how-to book," says Michael Jones, associate dean of the U. of C. undergraduate college. "This book is going to give everyone a common set of principles." Culturally, in modern American society, it's rare for members of any large group to have much in common. The University of Chicago's distribution of Lipson's book, free to each first-year student, is part of a growing trend in which colleges and universities are attempting to counter cultural fragmentation and pass along important values by assigning a book for all freshmen to read. Depending on the institution and the book, those values may be expressed in an examination of the responsibilities of citizenship or a look at the life of a soldier in wartime. They may raise important questions, such as the implications of genetics research, or explore what's lost and gained during times of change, such as the transition the freshmen are making from high school.

"Doing Honest Work in College" is unusual inasmuch as it is a book that students will use as a reference work throughout their college careers. More typically, a college or university will assign a book of topical or intellectual interest for first-year students to read during the summer -- and discuss together in their initial days on campus.

It's a first experience, says Matthew S. Santirocco, dean of arts and sciences at New York University, "in living the life of the mind." . . . .

Academic dishonesty down, but up among seniors

by Courtney Hine

The DePauw, February 20, 2007 (posted 2/13/07)

Since the 2004-2005 school year, cases of academic dishonesty among freshmen have fallen. At the same time, the University has seen a rise in plagiarism among seniors, said Dean of Academic Life Marnie McInnes.

McInnes said she has noticed a drop in the total number of cases of plagiarism this year. The highest number of cases McInnes has seen was 51 in the 2004-2005 school year, which fell to 18 in the 2005-2006 school year.

"This past fall we had no cases reported of first-year dishonesty," McInnes said. "If you compare that to fall of 2004 where there were 10 first-year students, 12 in the spring that year, it's quite dramatic."

Professor David Guinee has dealt with several cases of academic dishonesty while at DePauw. He believes the drop in numbers reported doesn't necessarily mean less plagiarism is taking place.

"I've had regular occurrences of plagiarism pretty much the entire time that I've been here," Guinee said. "That drop in numbers , all it represents is a drop in numbers of people that are prosecuting plagiarism cases through the regular system like they are supposed to," he said.

"It could be that students are doing it less ... but it could also be because professors are doing less or simply not catching it as much," Guinee said.

McInnes said Charles Lipson's book "Doing Honest Work in College" has been a major tool in DePauw's academic integrity initiative.

"I can't prove it, but I do know that the fall-off in reports of a certain kind of problem coincides with the introduction of the book," McInnes said.

McInnes asked first-year seminar, college writing and W-course professors to make an effort to talk about Lipson's book in the classroom.

"There were a lot more faculty members self-consciously, explicitly teaching skills on citation and paraphrasing than we had had in the past year, and I think that is the reason for the huge fall-off in numbers," she said.

Despite McInnes' request that professors focus their time on the importance of academic integrity, some professors did not use the book in their classrooms.

Sophomore Megan Sikes said her first-year seminar professor presented her class with the book, but she doesn't remember ever spending much time talking about it.

"My professor gave the book to us, but we never talked about it. I never use it for citing papers," Sikes said.

At the same time, McInnes said she has also noticed a growing trend in the number of seniors who are prosecuted for plagiarism, with four seniors in the spring of 2006 and six seniors in the fall of 2006. McInnes believes that these seniors have probably just fallen into incorrect patterns of citing research material.

"They've probably been turning in semi-plagiarized papers for a long time, and no one has ever charged them with anything, and then a faculty member in the senior year says that this isn't acceptable," McInnes said. "That's why I try to ask faculty colleagues to be consistent in reporting these things."

According to Guinee, the introduction of Lipson's book and an emphasis on the seriousness of academic dishonesty can only go so far.

"[Students] have to be actively involved in thinking that accurately presenting their sources is an issue," Guinee said. "If they are not focused on doing it right, it's easy to accidentally, or purposefully, do it wrong. There's no excuse."

© Copyright 2007 The DePauw

Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success
By Charles Lipson

In light of all the recent discussion around the academic dishonesty issue, just for fun I decided to send a short piece of my writing to one of those plagiarism detection Web sites. I have been teaching and learning about writing and writing for publication for many years now, and I am very careful about citations and references. With this in mind, I submitted the piece. Within 24 hours, the report claimed that this writer had plagiarized 6% of the submission. Horrified, I scrolled to the colored highlights in the text of my paper. This particular paper was about portfolio assessment and I had outlined six specific exercises. This question appeared in each of these exercises: "What evidence can you show . . . ?" Well, I immediately looked in the "suspected sources" box to find one URL, and I clicked on it. In a geography lesson posted on a nonproprietary Web site, I found the phrase, "What evidence can you show . . . ?"

Unfortunately, stories of plagiarism rarely end this way. In fact, plagiarism is occurring at an increasing rate in schools and universities, and it's not just the students who are violating the "fundamental rules for academic integrity." Reading Lipson's new book, Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, is a huge step toward prevention for any writer. Although the information and the message is directed to beginning college students, such comprehensive coverage of academic honesty would be helpful to anyone involved with writing and publishing, even those deciding policy or working with appeals.  "Academic honesty boils down to three simple but powerful principles. . . . They apply to all your classes, labs, papers, and exams. They apply to everyone in the university, from freshmen to professors" (p.3).

This is an easy book to read and a useful book to keep on your reference shelf. It begins with the principles of "academic honesty" and ends with frequently asked questions. In between, it explains how to be honest on different kinds of research and writing assignments, how to avoid plagiarism even when searching the Web, and how to cite sources properly in a variety of disciplines.  "Despite their differences," the author explains, "all [these] citation styles have the same basic goals: to identify and credit the courses you use, and to give readers specific information so they can go to these sources themselves, if they wish" (p. 52). The three major styles, Chicago (Turabian), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the American Psychological Association (APA), are covered in detail with examples of citations most often used, but many other styles are included in this text.

As teachers in the Information Age, we do need to be concerned about preventing plagiarism, as it is so easy to search, find, and drop any length of text into our word-processing program. And once the deed is done, detecting it is difficult and time-consuming. However, related problems can confound the issues of plagiarism, such as when the paraphrasing is too close, when a research paper has no citation, when the citations do not match the references listed as works cited, or when quotations appear without page numbers. Writers often say it was "accidental" or "unintentional," leaving the burden of proof on the reader or up to a committee. Yet most of these cases seem to be decided individually, sometimes in total disregard of the academic rules or written policy. After all, it isn't against the law.

Until we set precedents and follow through with consequences, we will be plagued with breaches of academic rules. In the meantime, it is nice to know that helpful publications such as Lipson's book are available and "Research Resources" can be found on the Internet. One such site is http://www.plagiarism.org, offering information and handouts in an effort to prevent plagiarism. Of course, professional ethics does work most of the time, and, as Socrates posits (I am interpreting loosely here), "We need to be the kind of person we want others to think we are." Yes, I think I will send this review off to Turnitin.com and see if they can tell me exactly where I can find that quotation.

Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success
By Dr. Charles Lipson
University of Chicago Press, 2004

I've earned five academic degrees, completed a dissertation, and published plenty of articles. I've even taught those introductory college writing courses where, by semester's end, my students had (hopefully) learned how to write a research paper - with sources properly documented. And still I confess there's something more than a little intimidating about writing a review of a book called "Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success." What if I cite something incorrectly? After all my academic training - perhaps because of it - I still wonder if I shouldn't really include footnotes and citations in my newspaper and magazine articles and reviews. And what if I, say, accidentally omit quotation marks where they belong? What dire punishment will befall me?

Somehow I'll get beyond such fears, because it's important for you to know about Dr. Charles Lipson's very useful guide for college students. I've just read it, so I've had an excellent refresher course on all these issues. Particularly given the rash of high-profile scholarly plagiarism/dishonesty cases we've seen over the years, it might not be such a bad idea for everyone in academia - not just new college students - to be periodically required to read through a guide on doing honest work.

Lipson, a professor and director of undergraduate studies in political science at the University of Chicago, has structured this book in two parts. The first defines and delineates "Academic Honesty." The second, "Citations: A Quick Guide," isn't very quick reading at all. That's because it's in those very detailed pages that Lipson guides the reader through multiple citation methods (Chicago/Turabian; MLA Citations for the Humanities; APA Citations for the Social Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Business; CSE Citations for the Biological Sciences; and so on through the disciplines). The book concludes with some FAQs addressing all citation styles.

What this structure means is that readers will find most of Lipson's narrative discussions of how to do honest work in college within the book's first 50 pages. The first chapter is remarkably brief and very much to the point. Here Lipson presents "The Three Principles of Academic Honesty." These boil down to actually doing the work you present as your own; citing the words of others when you invoke or use them; and presenting research materials "fairly and truthfully." Lipson describes these as "bedrock principles, easy to remember and follow. They apply to all your classes, labs, papers, and exams. They apply to everyone in the university, from freshmen to professors."

The second chapter offers a very helpful guide on "Academic Honesty From Your First Class to Your Final Exam." Here Lipson advises how to manage reading assignments, noting that students will encounter reading assignments from the start of their academic careers. He explains the differences in the types of examinations students might expect (in-class or take-home) and aspects of papers, group assignments and study, and lab work. He even offers constructive suggestions on how to appeal a low grade. Throughout the chapter, salient points are summarized and highlighted in boxes as "Tips." The "Tip on take-home exams," for example, notes that "You are usually permitted to use books, articles, notes and the Web for take-home exams, although it always pays to check. What you can never do is copy answers or ask anyone for help. The exam is still yours alone to complete. Whatever sources you use, phrase the answers in your own words and cite the source. If you copy anything directly from these sources, place it in quotation marks and cite it."

In the third chapter, "Plagiarism and Academic Honesty," Lipson focuses in-depth on the processes of writing papers honestly and, as the book title promises, avoiding plagiarism. Part of his advice here centers around note-taking techniques. He also specifically addresses quoting and paraphrasing, offering several examples for readers to study, explaining precisely what may be correct or incorrect in the process. Near the end of this chapter, Lipson makes an important point. He reminds the reader of the dual purpose of giving others' credit for their words and ideas and communicating that work "faithfully, without distortion." The first element encompasses the essential goal of "honesty" in one's own work. But there's another goal, and it's also an important one. This is linked to a student's capacity "to engage others' ideas fully, on a level playing field. That's the best way to confront diverse ideas, whether you agree with them or not. That's fair play, of course, but it's more than that. It's how you make your own work better. You are proving the mettle of your approach by passing a tough, fair test - one that compares your ideas to others without stacking the deck in your favor."

And isn't that, after all, really achieving the academic success promised in the title?

Ideally, a guide such as "Doing Honest Work in College" should be read before a student's first semester. Too much can overwhelm and distract in the first weeks and months of school. And we can't necessarily count on already time-crunched professors adding more "required reading" to the early weeks of their syllabi, no matter how much they may value its message and seek to impart it. This book is clearly written and very easy to understand. It won't take long to absorb its chief lessons, and its citation guides, especially, will prove a lasting reference. The benefits of this book can endure long beyond freshman year.

Lipson fights plagiarism

By Yuefan Weng

With the advent of the Internet and ever growing class sizes, academic dishonesty and plagiarism have grown steadily over the past decade, prompting a nationwide stire among the major universities around the country. Enter Political Science Professor Charles Lipson, whose upcoming publication, Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, reacts to a disturbing trend, offering advice and guidelines concerning proper citations, as well as outlining the core principles of academic honesty.

Although officially to be released to the general public on October 15, the University of Chicago Press published the book early for distribution to first-year students enrolled in the writing-intensive Humanities Core courses. Currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Political Science and the co-chair of the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security (PIPES), Lipson attributes his interest in the real of academic honesty to his experience working with students and faculty members of the college.

"I enjoy working with students and wanted to give them a clear, friendly guide to what honest academic work actually is and why it is so important to genuine learning," Lipson said, after swearing that the idea to work with students was really truly his own, not dishonest, and not lifted from another source.

Doing Honest Work in College discusses several key questions involving the often blurry line between academic honesty and plagiarism. The first half of the book deals with the general conceptual questions concerning academic honesty, and offers general guidelines for citations and online research. The second half offers specific accounts of citation styles, showing readers the exact process of citing journals, newspapers, books, websites, articles, encyclopedias, and other media sources.

"The books answers several questions that come up again and again when I talk with students. What does it mean to do honest work in my various classes? When I write papers, how should I cite the research I use?" Lipson asked. "I want to make it easy to handle the citations so you can concentrate on researching and writing the paper."

Although this is Lipson's first work concerning academic honesty and plagiarism, given the current stormy climate concerning plagiarism and dishonesty at major American universities, Lipson believes that the book would serve as a necessary roadmap for guiding students and faculty members alike through the often bewildering mazes of academia.

"There is no surefire way to eliminate the problems, but it helps to lay out the principles of academic honesty in clear language and explain why they matter for real learning," Lipson explained. "That puts students and teachers on the same page, with a shared understanding of what's right and what's wrong."

Lipson delves into academic dishonesty

By Yuefan Weng

Hongtae Kim, a second-year economics concentrator, is the perfect candidate to read political science professor Charles Lipson’s new book Doing Honest Work in College.

“I actually had an experience in cheating before,” Kim said. “But even though I was not caught, I felt horrible afterward and I now believe that we are mature enough to be responsible for our own work.”

In an interview, Lipson said the Internet has created a resource arena with no clear ownership rights, resulting in a virtual free-for-all forum for students to garner fraudulent information and papers. “Increased difficulties (dealing with plagiarism) stem from improper use of the Internet,” Lipson said. “Remember, a decade ago, students didn’t have regular access to the Web. Today, it is an integral part of student life and a tremendously valuable tool for research. Like all tools, though, it needs to be used correctly.”

But technological advances have also aided the study and deterrence of academic dishonesty. The Internet, although creating an anonymous forum susceptible to cheating and plagiarism, is also a major tool used to identify and search for cheating. When asked about the dual nature of the Internet, art professor Darby English replied, “between the astonishing reach of today’s search engines and the ingenuity of some stop-cheating software products, the Internet has proven a great help to many. In a way, though, teachers and savvy offenders alike may be aided by these resources.”

Academic dishonesty has been a consistent problem in higher education, said Constantin Fasolt, professor of history and current chair of the European Civilizations department. He attributed the persistence of the problem to the “degrees of credentialism,” or the focus on test scores instead of actually learning. He said that this emphasis has led to a fiercely competitive atmosphere in the classrooms of secondary schools.

The reliance on credentialism, Fasolt said, is illustrated by the vast numbers of standardized examinations administered to schools and universities through every level of instruction. Beginning with state mandated exams during elementary school and extending to the SAT in high school, these batteries of exams negatively stress the concrete results of education over the more vital but less tangible process of education.

Fasolt also said academic competition is becoming more stiff. This pressure to perform goes hand-in-hand with credentialism, resulting in more pressure to cheat. “What we need is an attitude change on the part of both the administrators and the students,” he said. “The only way to effectively handle cheating and plagiarism is through education, through teaching students at an early age what is right and wrong.”

Academics concerned with cheating say they are now focusing on finding a solution, and Lipson’s Doing Honest Work in College is a major step in this movement toward prevention. “Publishing this book encourages not only students, but also other universities, to think and discuss more about our current state of academic dishonesty,” Lipson said. “The work will be a success if it helps us answer why it’s important to do honest work and what honest work is all about in the different academic settings.”

The University has distributed the book to all the Hum Core classes, offering first-years an opportunity to learn about the often-abstract nature of academic dishonesty and the proper citation techniques concerning research papers and essays. Although recently had, the book already seemed to have an effect upon the students.

“Although I think that most people don’t cheat intentionally, it’s good that they passed out the books so that there is greater awareness of this problem,” said Wanyun Loh, an international first-year from Singapore. “I’m not sure what they teach in American high schools, but I wasn’t even aware that some of the examples raised in the book were actually considered cheating.”

Lipson’s work is not merely making headway across the University of Chicago campus, but is garnering support from universities nationwide. According to Lipson, the endorsement of the book by a prestigious institution like the University of Chicago is tremendous to the advancement of the study and focus of the problem nationwide.

Although the University’s investments in Lipson’s book seems to be paying off dividends already, some students still prefer to learn about the problems of academic honesty the hard way.

First-years learn academic honesty

By Amy M. Baverman

The University of Chicago Press usually takes at least a year to publish a book. But when political-science professor Charles Lipson approached editor Linda Halvorson last winter about a tome on the do's and don't of plagiarism, the Press decided on a six-month publishing process, in time to distribute to this fall's incoming students during Orientation Week.

Lipson's book, Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, aims to be the first comprehensive guide on how not to cheat--on purpose or inadvertently--on papers, exams, study groups, and labs. He offers advice on taking notes, paraphrasing, and, especially, using Web sources.

"The Internet has changed everything," Lipson says. While books--physical items bound between two covers--are "obviously someone's work," he says, "when you see something on screen it seems yours for the taking." The Internet also has made cheating easier. In the past, "you had to go to considerable trouble to turn in a paper not your own. You had to make an effort," he says. "Now you're two clicks and a credit-card number away, or you can find an article published online and copy a few sentences."

For the book Lipson did some of his own Web research. He thought up a faux paper comparing Holden Caulfield with Hamlet. "I was pretty proud of my invented comparison." But when he typed "Caulfield" and "Hamlet" into Google, he says, "up came all these offers to sell me a paper on the topic." He noted the irony of Holden, who hated "phonies" above all else, being the subject of stolen ideas.

Other colleges have published handbooks on citing sources; for four or five years the University has given undergraduates the Dartmouth-published Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement. That 38-page booklet, says College Dean John Boyer, AM '69, PhD '75, is "very useful but very basic." Lipson's 208-pager, meanwhile, expands the field, covering both citing sources and academic honesty.

In the book's first half he outlines three core principles for integrity: (1) "When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it." (2) "When you rely on someone else's work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too." (3) "When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That's true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars."

In the guide's second half he goes through specific citations for all types of sources in all manner of styles. The Chicago Manual of Style and the Modern Language Association, for example, would cite Seinfeld's "The Soup Nazi" episode differently. Lipson also details legal, psychological, biological, chemical, physical, mathematical, and computer citations.

While writing Doing Honest Work he conferred with professors in other divisions, seeking best practices for science lab work and group math problems, for instance. "What surprised me was how often I heard the same thing from an advanced-math teacher and a first-year Latin teacher," he says. "Mistakes are important for diagnosing where a problem is." That dreaded direction "show your work," he notes, really helps teachers see where students need assistance.

"Problem sets can be really annoying, and you see copying all the time," notes third-year John Paul Jewell. "It's too easy to borrow a neighbor's homework. . . . Having that kind of information in a book will at least improve understanding."

As far as Lipson and the Press know, there's no similar reference as comprehensive as his. "That's what made me want to do this," he says, rather than a sense that students were plagiarizing like mad. In class (he specializes in international politics) he sees the occasional cheater: "a student rushing, trying to cut a corner, will plagiarize." But more often, he says, students ask him how to cite sources--"anxious students who want to do things right but aren't sure how."

Boyer has no reason to believe plagiarism has increased since he became dean in 1992, but, he admits, "sadly there are some cases every year, whether they involve ignorance or willfulness." Lipson's book, he notes, "sets a public standard" for academic integrity. The parts about how to take notes and how to study for exams, he adds, "were especially appealing."

Doing Honest Work should be in stores nationwide by October 15, but the Press sent the College 1,300 copies in time for the September 18-26 Orientation Week. "We felt it was so important and so timely," says Ellen Gibson, U of C Press marketing manager. Boyer agrees: "We feel it's a sufficiently important issue that we wanted students to have it from Day 1."

The book's audience isn't limited to undergraduates. "I'm subject to these rules myself," says Lipson, who's also preparing a guide on how to write a BA thesis. "These are rules that apply to everyone, from President Randel and Provost Saller to a first-year student."

Lipson and the Press hope other schools will find the book useful too. In January Gibson plans a marketing push beyond the University, to get other schools to adopt Doing Honest Work in their classrooms.

Lipson authors student guide on honesty in academic work

By William Harms, News Office

College students throughout the country have a new book to add to their collections of dictionaries and other essential reference materials—the first-ever guide to avoiding cheating and plagiarism. The guide focuses considerable attention on Web-based research, where much of today’s troubles begin.

“Although most students are honest, colleges across the country see an emerging crisis. There is simply more cheating and plagiarism today than in the past,” said Charles Lipson, Professor in Political Science and author of Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success, published by the University Press.

“Many of the problems can be traced to larger classes, where students don’t receive individual attention, and to misuse of the Internet. Students who want to cut corners can download answers to exams or secretly copy material for their papers,” he explained. Their professors, he said, use the same tools to catch plagiarism and cheating.

Unfortunately, there have been more and more violators. Surveys consistently show that cheating among college students is rising. For instance, while 10 percent of students said in 1999 they cut and pasted unattributed material directly from the Internet into their papers, the percentage rose to 41 percent in 2001, according to the Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University. Another survey found that a third of students admitted to cheating on tests.

Lipson has dealt with many of these issues personally. He has taught popular classes at the University for more than 25 years and now directs the University’s undergraduate program in Political Science. After advising many graduates and undergraduates about academic honesty, he decided to write a book designed to help the vast majority of students who want to do honest work.

“Like all professors, I see cases of cheating or plagiarism occasionally. Every one of them is painful. I also see students who want to do the right thing but aren’t quite sure how to cite their sources or how to complete a take-home exam,” Lipson said. His brief reference book aims to reduce the problem by providing clear, consistent rules and explaining why they are so important. According to Lipson, “Sticking to these rules not only helps students learn while they are in college; it prepares them for a lifetime of honest endeavors.”

There are three essential principles for academic honesty:

• When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it.
• When you rely on other people’s work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too.
• When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. This is true whether the research involves data, documents or the writings of other scholars.

Lipson shows how these principles work in classes, exams, science labs and research paper assignments. He also provides learning tips, including better note-taking methods and accurate citations for original sources.

“Some honest writers find themselves in hot water, accused of plagiarism because their notes are so bad they cannot tell what they copied and what they wrote themselves,” he said. For clear notes, he suggests writing a Q with a page number at the beginning of a quote and putting another Q at the end, rather than using quote marks, which are easily overlooked.

He also provides suggestions for working honestly in small groups, such as knowing a professor’s expectations of how much work the group should complete and how much should be done individually. “If you are unsure, ask,” said Lipson. And conducting laboratory research requires the investigator to present the experimental results honestly, even if they contradict the original hypothesis.

Ultimately, students who do honest work simply learn more, Lipson pointed out. Students who cheat on practice problems in math or economics will not be prepared for tests on those topics. Students who copy the answers to weekly drills in Spanish or Arabic will never learn the language. Students who plagiarize short papers will not develop the skills they need to write longer research papers. There is a common theme here, he said. “Honest work is the path to real learning.”

According to Lipson, the same basic principles apply to faculty as well as students. “Everyone in the university, from the youngest freshman to the most senior professor, is bound by the same standards of academic honesty,” he said.

The book is widely available in campus bookstores across the country. The University ordered 1,300 copies, which were given to incoming College first-year students during the first two weeks of the quarter in their Humanities core courses.

“We strive to treat our students as young scholars from their first day in the College, and we want them to learn the habits and practices of good research and scholarship at the outset of their careers,” said John Boyer, Dean of the College and the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor in History.

“It is wonderful to have a resource like this from one of our own faculty members. It is a book that helps students learn the mechanical and stylistic aspects of using sources, and which also places those skills within the broader context of the search for knowledge and the life of learning. I am delighted to have the chance to provide Charles Lipson’s rich and useful book to our students.”

Cheaters CEOs cook the numbers. Baseball players take steroids. Students buy term papers online. With cheating easier and more tempting than ever, professors are beginning to wonder whether it’s a problem on the rise. By Linda Heuman Brown Alumni Magazine, May-June 2005 . . . Cohen [Associate Dean of the College Carol Cohen, who is in charge of evaluating and disciplining students violating the Academic Code] is particularly impressed by a pilot program that was launched last fall at the University of Chicago, during which administrators distributed to entering freshmen a new book by Charles Lipson, a political scientist at the school, called Doing Honest Work in College—How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. The book was due to be published in mid-October 2004, but when Chicago officials heard rumors of its impending release, they managed to get advance copies.

Lipson’s book is a readable, informal, and practical guide to the essence and principles of ethical scholarship, as well as a handy reference guide to writing citations. The first part of the book articulates three principles that sum up the spirit of integrity that underlies the rules, and it addresses how these principles apply to each aspect of academic life, “from your first class to your final exam.” One section is specifically devoted to Internet research. A chapter on plagiarism illustrates with concrete examples how to paraphrase correctly, a common point of confusion for students. The second part of the book details how to write a proper citation for everything from a journal to an Internet site in the accepted style for particular fields.

Chicago’s incoming students read the book in a core humanities course required of all freshmen. Section leaders were then available to address any doubts and answer any questions. The goal was to make sure all entering students know the ground rules and have the same reference book to use throughout their college years. Lipson emphasizes the importance of letting students know explicitly what is expected of them. “Whenever a student is caught doing something wrong, the first thing he or she says is ‘I didn’t know the rules.’ And sometimes that is actually true and sometimes it’s not. But going over these materials in advance eliminates that response—whether or not it is true. You want the students who didn’t know actually to know. And you want the ones that are just fibbing about it to have that excuse off the table.”

Dean Cohen says the book’s combination of general principles and concrete rules offers what students seem to be missing. “I don’t think in the end that this is just an ethical question.” she says. “It is an ethical as well as a ‘what does this world mean?’ kind of question. ‘What is the world of scholarship I have just entered?’ ” Lipson agrees, saying that he wrote the book because he found that many of his students wanted to do honest work but weren’t sure what that meant. In addition, he says, “the Internet has changed everything.” Not only does the Internet make it easier than ever before to access and copy information; it actually allows a completely new mode of engaging with information. “Anyone who uses the Net regularly begins to perceive the material out there in the ether as being somehow different from the material that is between the covers of a book. Everybody knows that if you take something that is between the covers of a book that you need to cite it, and if you use the exact words that you need to quote it. But not everybody thinks that you need to do that with Internet material, even though you do.”

If you look up a fact in a book, your search is discrete and linear. You pick up one book; then you pick up another. You can’t miss the source; the book in your hand is tangible. You enter through the front cover. But in cyberspace you often enter through a side door. An online research trail proceeds associatively, via hypertext links connecting content in one site to content in another. Have you ever discovered an interesting fact on a Web site with no idea what site you were on or how you got there? That’s what research is like for today’s undergraduates.

In addition, many products or services are free in cyberspace: news, telephone calls, mail, some music and videos. The Internet appears to be in the public domain, as though its contents are there for the taking. As a result, plagiarizers sometimes don’t think that by taking someone else’s work they are stealing. “You can’t steal something that is free and available to everybody,” Lipson says. “You’re not stealing, any more than I’m stealing the air. Unless someone is asking to be paid and I’m taking it without paying, then I haven’t stolen it.” What students are doing, he says, is presenting someone else’s work as their own, which is fraud.

What faculty members should do, says Brown Professor of Biology Peter Heywood, is to keep reinforcing the ethics in their particular fields.

Stacking the Deck: Is High Tech Helping Students Cheat?

by Patrick McDonagh

. . . If students are to learn about academic integrity, they must be taught. Karen Nicholson, Reference and Instruction Librarian in the McLennan Library, has organized "information literacy" training sessions, designed to help students find, evaluate and use information properly. Part of her mandate includes teaching the concept of academic integrity.

"A lot of undergraduates seem genuinely unaware that they can't cut and paste things from the Internet into their papers," she says. "So the more involved departments and professors become, the better." Nicholson has a point. No less a figure than Alberta Premier Ralph Klein used the "I didn't know I wasn't allowed to do that" excuse when an essay he wrote for an online course at Lakehead University included large blocks of text that had been copied and pasted from other sources, without proper referencing.

[McGill's Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Enrica Quaroni] points out that starting in September 2005, the Faculty of Arts will be giving out free copies of Charles Lipson's book Doing Honest Work in College to incoming students. "It is a very good book that tells students about academic integrity, why it is important to do honest work, gives good and bad examples of paraphrasing, provides tips on how to take notes so students are always aware of which words are theirs and which aren't, and finally, gives examples of various citation styles. We felt that this was an important step to take as a preventative and educational measure." But many students are fully aware that copying from other sources is a cardinal sin in academe, yet do it anyway. What causes such ethical lapses? "Students give reasons from 'I was having personal difficulties' to 'I couldn't concentrate' to 'It was the last minute and I didn't know what to do,'" Quaroni says. Increased awareness about academic integrity means students may be more likely to seek other ways of addressing these problems, creating, in essence, an exercise in learning about choices and responsibility. As Shore says, "Students are generally wonderful people. Most cheating occurs under pressure, at the last minute, when they are really making desperate choices."

In the meantime, the TurnItIn debate and the academic integrity policy's consultation process have been raising awareness. "We benefit from people thinking about these problems and trying to find solutions," Mendelson points out. "The discussion among students and faculty, in the Senate and in student newspapers is terrific."

He isn't just being an optimist. McGill's code of conduct already provides plenty of bite. Honest communication is critical to academic integrity. It is, after all, the main point.

Lipson Says He Loves What He Does

Poli sci professor speaks on eclectic range of topics in lecture series

by David Kaye

Lipson—a commanding presence, with his Southern accent and emphatic gesticulations—surprised his audience by beginning his talk with a front page story from Thursday’s New York Times, about a millionaire who works as a transit conductor because he loves the job.

“That’s my situation, millions of dollars in extraneous income,” Lipson said to a chorus of laughs. “No, [I picked that because] I really thought, and think often, that the kind of life I live now—where I read, and I write, and I teach—is what I would do if I had his income. I fundamentally love what I’m doing,” he said. He then spoke briefly about the importance of family before moving on to subjects that he considered less conventional answers to what matters to him.

Lipson emphasized the importance of reading, writing, and learning; of those three, learning was most important to him. “I love to learn about things that interest me, but my interests are very eclectic.” He mentioned linguistics as one of his interests, which he is currently studying by listening to an audio course.

History and political science are Lipson’s preferred academic pursuits, and he discussed some of his concerns within these disciplines. “What I’ve become more and more interested in is the problem of peace,” he said. “It’s a problem because it’s hard to achieve a durable peace. We’ve reached a wonderful moment in world history, where peace is not simply a moment between wars.”

Lipson also spoke about the importance of humor. “I’m not sure I can explain why—I just love it,” he said. Praising Krusty the Clown as “one of the great figures of our time,” Lipson shared his appreciation for not only The Simpsons but also Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, recounting an anecdote about his experience as an audience member on that program. “There are Ph.D. dissertations that don’t have this much insight,” he said.

Lipson applied humor to insight, noting how well it can inform the human condition. “It’s not systematic, it’s not theorized, but it’s deep,” he said. “I enjoy thinking about it, thinking about what it means. Sometimes we can have the insights about our world that we don’t even appreciate when we laugh at a joke,” he said. Naming Woody Allen, David Sedaris, Leslie Nielsen, and Bob Newhart as some of his favorite humorists, Lipson showed that his interests in comedy were also varied. “I don’t just go for deep humor—my tastes are anything but highbrow on this,” he said.

Lipson, also the director of the Program for International Politics, Economics, and Security, turned to an area from which he drew material for his recent book, Doing Honest Work in College, as one of further importance.

“Honesty, integrity, and free discourse—I think of them as related,” Lipson said. “If you’re dishonest in presenting your work, then you’re undermining the trust that’s an inherent quality of teaching.”

Lipson lamented the effects of plagiarism and distorted data in academia. “What you’re seeing is education turned into a kind of punch-your-ticket enterprise, so you don’t really care what you learn, what you care about is…are you going to get the grade,” he said.

Lipson, who earlier in the speech had expressed gratitude at being on the faculty at Chicago, did not think that the problem was endemic to the University. “We don’t have that kind of mentality here—we have people who care about learning. That makes it a lot more fun to teach,” he said.

When asked during a question and answer period what he would take on a desert island, Lipson named eclectic music such as Mozart, Robert Johnson—“see if I can drown him out with my own bad blues singing”—and the early Rolling Stones. He said he would reread several history books and take “a lot of Snickers bars and Diet Dr. Pepper.”

Responding to a question on partisanship in the media, Lipson clarified his own political views. “Some people consider me conservative on campus—I don’t think of myself that way at all. I think of myself as a centrist, and very much on the left on a wide range of social issues,” he said.

Justifying why he did not name politics as what mattered, Lipson spoke of politics on a different plane, drawing a connection to some of his earlier points. “I could say that politics matter a lot to me, but what really matters are the issues like human freedom—what to me politics is about,” he said. “I’m really concerned with somewhat bigger issues—freedom of discourse, integrity—those kinds of things are things that I really care about for their own sake.”

January Books of the Month | January 4, 2005

The general interest book for January comes from the pen of my colleague Charles Lipson: Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. This is really two books in one. The second part of the book is a quick guide to citation styles across the myriad disciplines. This section is more accessible than the Chicago Manual of Style, which makes it great for undergraduates.

[Yes, but this is the general interest book, not the "specifically for undergraduates" book!!-ed] Ah, yes, but the first part of the book is devoted to the Three Principles of Academic Honesty, which are laid out on the first page of the book:

• When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it.
• When you rely on someone else's work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too.
• When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That's true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars.

Lipson's book is intended for undergraduates, but in light of the the rash of plagiarism that exists among professors -- particularly at the Harvard Law School for some reason-- these maxims should not only be imbibed by undergraduates [What about outside academia?--ed. An excellent question for the commenters -- are these rules appropriate for non-academic forms of employment that require research and writing? My gut says yes, but I'm curious to hear counterarguments.]

posted by Dan Drezner at 12:50 PM

Academic Honesty | November 28, 2004

Browsing the new books at Willis [the University library], I found Charles Lipson's Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success (University of Chicago Press, 2004). I'll be using this to make syllabus policies and handouts in future semesters. Here's the opening:

"Academic honesty boils down to three simple but powerful principles:

• When you say you did the work yourself, you actually did it.

• When you rely on someone else's work, you cite it. When you use their words, you quote them openly and accurately, and you cite them, too.

• When you present research materials, you present them fairly and truthfully. That's true whether the research involves data, documents, or the writings of other scholars." (Lipson 2004: 3)

One of his useful suggestions (found on pp. 34-5) is to cite quotes in your reading notes by using the letter Q instead of quotation marks, which you might overlook when you use your notes to draft a paper (thereby accidentally plagiarizing) or confuse with quotation marks in the quoted phrase, to begin and end the quoted phrase, and include the page number the quote comes from:

Q23 This is a sentence in the source.Q

When the quote crosses onto another page, cite both pages and use // to show the break between them, and include the original punctuation for quotes within quotes:

Q23-24 This started on one page // and ended on another, where it included "this quoted phrase" before the sentence ended.Q

Honest Work | August 24, 2006

I highly recommend this book. In only fifty pages, Lipson covers a wide range of topics, from how to effectively participate in group projects to tips for reading effectively to determining when to cite. He organizes the book around three basic principles for academic honesty; these could prove very useful to you as you think about how to discuss plagiarism in your classes. Lipson walks readers through practical ethical dilemmas (”Is it okay to consult Cliff’s Notes?” “What are the guidelines for studying with peers?”) with humor and clarity. The remainder of the book is devoted to various citation forms.

--Karissa Haugeberg

I've just returned from Chicago where I visited my long-time dear friend Paula Duffy, now director of the University of Chicago Press. She treated me to some of the best of Chicago including Second City and Late Nite Catechism, the Field Museum for two big exhibits Machu Picchu and Jackie Kennedy , the very modern Millennium Park and the very traditional Walnut Room at Marshall Field's to kickoff the Christmas Season.

Now as director of the Press that publishes over 200 books a year, she talked most about two. She's very proud of The Encyclopedia of Chicago over 10 years in the making which was published to plaudits from reviewers and just in time for Christmas giving.

A great legacy for a great city. The other book is Doing Honest Work in College by Charles Lipson, a professor of political science at the University and co-director of PIPES (Program on International Politics, Economics and Security.

I was fortunate to meet the charming Charles Lipson who proudly showed me his awesome home page which features breaking news, many links to audio newscasts in English from around the world as well as old-time radio shows and links to other audio features. I knew about Storycorps but not about Sound Portraits or the wealth of old time radio available for download or streaming.

From him I learned Chicago has another unique legacy.

At the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., a human skull sits in a place of honor. When the legendary Chicago improv guru Del Close died in 1999, he willed his cranium to the Goodman for use as a prop -- Close had poor Yorick specifically in mind. Seated on a red velvet cushion in a plastic box, Close's skull resides in the office of Robert Falls, the Goodman's artistic director.

A last and lasting joke by someone who never wanted to leave the theater.

Posted by Jill at December 2, 2004 08:21 PM

Lipson, Charles  Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success. Distributed for the University of Chicago Press. 208 p. 6 x 9 2004 Cloth BB $30.00 spec 0-226-48472-6 Fall 2004 Paper BB $13.00 trade 0-226-48473-4 Fall 2004 For course adoptions and group sales, contact Ellen Gibson | 773.702.3233 |  e-mail: eg@press.uchicago.edu To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | U Chicago Press As college deans and faculty are well aware, cheating and plagiarism have become an epidemic. Some students deliberately download papers, while others break rules they simply don't understand. Unfortunately, there have been no reliable guides to aid students, faculty, and teaching assistants in navigating these challenging issues. Now, there's help. Charles Lipson, a distinguished scholar and teacher who has coached thousands of students in the basics of honest work, provides clear, accessible, and often humorous advice on all aspects of college studies, from papers and exams to study groups and labs.

In the first part of the book, Lipson outlines three core principles of academic honesty and explores how these principles inform all aspects of college work. He discusses plagiarism in detail, outlining an ingenious note-taking system and offering guidelines for quoting and paraphrasing. Careful attention is paid to online research, including the perils of "dragging and dropping" text without proper citation. These chapters include numerous tips, all highlighted for students, on how to work honestly and study effectively.

The second part of the book gives a full account of citation styles in the humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences, as well as in pre-professional studies. Filled with examples, these chapters show students exactly how to cite books, journals, edited volumes, Web sites, online publications, and much more--in every citation style imaginable.

By clearly communicating the basic principles of academic honesty and exploring these principles in action, Doing Honest Work in College promotes genuine learning and academic success. This must-have reference empowers faculty and students to address questions about academic honesty before problems arise. It will be the book students turn to for advice from their first class to their final exam.

For more, see Citation FAQs from book at University of Chicago Press Web site (questions that students frequently ask about using citations).

Lipson, Charles  How to Write a BA Thesis: A Practical Guide from Your First Ideas to Your Finished Paper. Description at University of Chicago Press Site 288 p., 4 maps, 20 graphs, 29 tables, 3 diagrams, 8 charts. 6 x 9, 2005 To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | U. Chicago Press $17 paper | $40 hardcover  (ISBN, Paper 0226481263; Hardcover:0226481253) For course adoptions and group sales, contact Ellen Gibson | 773.702.3233 | e-mail: eg@press.uchicago.edu The senior thesis is the capstone of a college education, but writing one can be a daunting prospect. Students need to choose their own topic and select the right adviser. Then they need to work steadily for several months as they research, write, and manage a major independent project. Now there's a mentor to help. How to Write a BA Thesis is a practical, friendly guide written by Charles Lipson, an experienced professor who has guided hundreds of students through the thesis-writing process. This book offers step-by-step advice on how to turn a vague idea into a clearly defined proposal, then a draft paper, and, ultimately, a polished thesis. Lipson also tackles issues beyond the classroom-from good work habits to coping with personal problems that interfere with research and writing. Filled with examples and easy-to-use highlighted tips, the book also includes handy time schedules that show when to begin various tasks and how much time to spend on each. Convenient checklists remind students which steps need special attention, and a detailed appendix, filled with examples, shows how to use the three main citation systems in the humanities and social sciences: MLA, APA, and Chicago.

How to Write a BA Thesis will help students work more comfortably and effectively-on their own and with their advisers. Its clear guidelines and sensible advice make it the perfect text for thesis workshops. Students and their advisers will refer again and again to this invaluable resource. From choosing a topic to preparing the final paper, How to Write a BA Thesis helps students turn a daunting prospect into a remarkable achievement.