Plagiarism and Academic Accountability

Academic Accountability
Define academic voice and plagiarism.
Academic voice is a form of communication that uses a formal tone with clarity, professionalism, and straightforwardness. At its core are declarative statements, avoidance of causal language, and authoritative register (Dirgeyasa & Hum, 2017).
Plagiarism is the representation of another author’s work or ideas as own and without full acknowledgment.
Apply your knowledge of academic voice and plagiarism to the rewritten passage, locating and identifying errors.
“The correlational method can be very useful, but it must be used with caution.” - (this direct quote is done well, but there is no acknowledged through in-text citation, thus plagiarism). If knowledge of one variable (height) helps predict another (weight), does that mean that one causes the other? Not necessarily. It is possible that the primary variable caused the secondary, or that the secondary variable caused the primary, or that some additional variable caused both variables. We cannot understand what chance is true without further studies. - (even though the rewrite has adapted the original idea, there is still a seemingly intentional and reckless representation of the author’s original work.) For example, ice cream consumption and violent crime are correlated. Does this mean eating ice cream causes violent crime? Or, does a spike in violent crime cause consumption of ice cream? – (this section of the paragraph is considered plagiarism of the author’s original work and idea.) Probably neither... rather, a common factor (e.g., heat) may be to blame for both. “Cum hoc propter hoc—correlation does not imply causation.” – (this direct quotation is not acknowledged through in-text citation, thus amounts to plagiarism)
Rewrite the passage appropriately using your Academic Voice.
In research, the correlational method is very important. However, it is to be used carefully (Feenstra, 2013). It is true that one variable, e.g., drug use, can be used to predict another, e.g., crime, but does it, therefore, imply that one triggers the other? While it is possible that drug use might increase participation in crime, it is also possible that participation in crime might cause drug use. As argued by Feenstra (2013), this necessitated more research to determine which possibility is applicable and whether other factors affect. For example, is drug use related to participation in crime, or does an increase in crime translate to increased drug use. Another factor, e.g., access to easy money, might cause and drive both drug use and crime. As Feenstra states, “Cum hoc propter hoc” (2013), - correlation doesn’t mean cause.
What are some key features of academic writing that might be particularly relevant within your program/intended career?
In my career - Psychology and Criminal Justice, various features of academic writing will be relevant. First, the formal type of writing is important and relevant to my career as it will help in driving the intended information authoritatively. It is important to present information in a clear and straightforward method in Psychology and Criminal Justice.
The absence of declarative statements is vital even for my career as it helps to present the text as level-headed, considerate, and informed, thus making it well-measured, tested, and believable. Besides, the avoidance of declarative statements and the use of first-person possessive words help to eliminate bias that would be disastrous in Psychology and Criminal Justice. As a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, information passed across must be considered truthful and free of any personal bias.
What types of plagiarism do you find most difficult to avoid?
Self-plagiarism – this is plagiarism when an author reuses his/her previous work abut does not acknowledge it. This is difficult to avoid, especially when quoting a statement held as a truth (Sutherland-Smith, 2018). This also makes it difficult, and more so, when the author can’t remember whether it has been stated in previous work.
Paraphrasing plagiarism – this is the use of another author's work/idea with minimal changes to the sentences. This is difficult to avoid especially when the author uses some standard words/phrases, e.g. “Cum hoc propter hoc”
Inaccurate authorship – this happens when an author is not credited; or when an author is credited without contributing to the work. This happens mainly when a citation is made in a reference by another writer.
What methods/strategies can you use to ensure that you avoid these errors in your work?
To avoid self-plagiarism, I will practice caution, especially when writing revisions of the subject/topic I have previously written. Second, I will have reviewers and proofreaders who have adequate knowledge of any of my previous work edit and indicate any instances of self-management.
To avoid paraphrasing plagiarism, I will first seek to understand the context of any work by an author; then rewrite the text in my wordings based on my understanding of the original text. In cases where it is difficult to paraphrase, then I will quote and cite appropriately.
To avoid inaccurate authorship, in cases where I need to cite work cited in another author’s work, then I will look for the citation, and infer on the original work directly.
References
Dirgeyasa, I. W., & Hum, M. (2017). College Academic Writing a Genre-Based Perspective. Prenada Media.
Feenstra, J. (2013). Introduction to social psychology. [Electronic version].
Sutherland-Smith, W. (2018). Is student plagiarism still a serious problem in universities today? In Student Plagiarism in Higher Education (pp. 47-61). Routledge.