Michel EstefanDepartment of Sociology

University of California, Berkeleymestefan@berkeley.edu

WRITING PAPERS:LEARNING HOW TO BECOME PART OF A

CONVERSATIONAL COMMUNITY

WHAT IS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY?• It’s about being part of a community

Participating in a conversationCooperatively exploring an issueAcknowledging the contributions of othersBeing transparent about your own contribution

• Knowledge is a collective enterprise

THE LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF A PAPER:ARGUMENT AS A CONVERSATION WITH READERSAll papers should do the following seven things (Booth et al.

2005:109)• Establish common ground• Make a claim• Explain why the claim matters• Support the claim with reasons • Support the reasons with evidence• Acknowledge alternatives, complications, and objections• Respond to the alternatives, complications, and objections

THE CORE OF AN ARGUMENT (BOOTH ET AL. 2005:112)

CLAIM REASON EVIDENCE because of based on

THE FORMAT OF A PAPERIntroduction

• Common Ground

• Question or Puzzle

• Significance

• Answer, Claim, Solution

• Road Map

Context

Problem

Response

THE FORMAT OF A PAPERBody: How will you organize your analysis? (Booth et. al. 2005:183)

• Simple to complex

• More familiar to less familiar

• Less contestable to more contestable

• Earlier understanding to prepare for later understanding

Define key concepts early in your paper

• General analysis followed by specific applications

THE FORMAT OF A PAPERParagraph Construction:

• Focus on a single point (topic sentence)

• Avoid redundancies and digressions

• Explain

• Provide examples and evidence

• Support points with references

• Precise word choice

• Moderate length

THE FORMAT OF A PAPERConclusion

• Restate your central claim with more nuance (i.e. in a more specific and contestable way)

• Restate its significance in broader terms

• Pose questions left unanswered (Keep the conversation going!)

READING AND WRITINGWriting well implies knowing how to read texts critically.

• Scan and scope the text beforehand• Read with a purpose• Identify the logic of the piece

It’s not only about what the text says, but about how the text works.

• Decide what matters and what doesn’t (You don’t have to read everything!)

• Annotate

THANK YOU!mestefan@berkeley.edu

Center for Student Conduct

Julio Oyola

Student Conduct Specialist

UNDERSTANDING PLAGIARISM

WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?• Plagiarism means using another’s work without

giving credit.

• You must put others’ words in quotation marks and cite your source(s).

• Citation must also be given when using others’ ideas, even when those ideas are paraphrased into your own words.

WHY DO STUDENTS PLAGIARIZE?• Maybe you didn’t learn proper citation styles before coming to Cal.

• Maybe you procrastinate and wait until the last minute to do the assignment.

• Maybe you are experiencing stress in your personal life and didn’t have the time to prepare the assignment.

• Maybe you thought copying and submitting “something” was better than submitting “nothing.”

• Maybe there are cultural differences in the acceptable standards in how to prepare academic work.

• Maybe you’re in a class or major that you are not interested in.

• Maybe you’re being pressured by your family to be in a certain major.

WHY SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED ABOUT PLAGIARISM?• Some companies and professions (medicine, engineering) require employees to

operate under a code of ethics which includes honesty and integrity.

• Plagiarism devalues others’ original work. Submitting a professional writer’s work in place of your own is taking an unfair advantage over other students who do their own work.

• It is wrong to take or use property (an author’s work) without giving the owner the value or credit due. Copyright violations can also result in fines or damages.

• Plagiarism violates the Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct.

• UC Berkeley’s reputation affects the value of your degree: academic misconduct hurts Berkeley’s standing and can make your diploma worth less.

EXAMPLES

The Original Source:

“In research writing, sources are cited for two reasons: to alert

readers to the sources of your information and to give credit to

the writers from whom you have borrowed words and ideas.”4

4 Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (St. Martin’s Press, 1995).

EXAMPLES

Plagiarism

(same words, no quotation marks):

In research writing, sources are cited to alert readers to the sources

of your information and to give credit to the writers from whom you

have borrowed words and ideas.

EXAMPLES

Also Plagiarism

(incorrect paraphrase):

In research writing, we cite sources for a couple reasons: to notify

readers of our information sources and give credit to those from

whom we have borrowed. (Hacker).

EXAMPLES

A Solution

(appropriate paraphrase):

A researcher cites her sources to ensure her audience knows where

she got her information, and to recognize and credit the original

work. (Hacker, 1995, p. 260).

EXAMPLESA Different Solution

(quotation with cite):

In her book A Writer’s Reference, Diana Hacker notes, “In research writing,

sources are cited for two reasons: to alert readers to the sources of your

information and to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words

and ideas.” (1995, p.260).

PLAGIARISM RESOURCES

Avoiding Plagiarism: Purdue Online Writing Lab

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/930/01/

Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It

• http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

Using Sources (Hamilton College)

• http://www.hamilton.edu/writing/writing-resources/using-sources

ASUC Student Advocate’s OfficeSuraj Bhogal: Conduct Division Director

Alice Lin: Conduct Division Policy Coordinator and Caseworker

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND THE

CONDUCT PROCESS

TYPES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

• Cheating

• Plagiarism

• Course Materials

• False Information and Representation, Fabrication or Alteration of Information

• Theft or Damage of Intellectual Property

• Alteration of University Documents

• Disturbances in the Classroom

RESOLVING AN ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT CASE

• Faculty Disposition: If a professor or GSI believes that academic misconduct has occurred, he/she can file a Faculty Disposition Form

If the student does not dispute the violation and accepts the academic sanctions, the Faculty Disposition Form will be sent to the Center for Student Conduct, but a formal conduct record will not be created

If the student denies the allegation or does not accept the academic sanctions, the form will be sent to the Center for Student Conduct for Review

• Center for Student Conduct Process

CONDUCT PROCESS• Receive Notice of Possible Violation from the Center for Student Conduct briefly

describing the incident and stating the specific violations of the Code of Student Conduct

• Meet with a conduct specialist from the Center for Student Conduct for an informal meeting to discuss the incident

• Conduct specialist decides whether student is “more likely than not” responsible for the violation If found not responsible, the case will be dropped and no conduct record will

exist If found responsible, the student will receive a conduct sanction in addition to

the grade adjustment suggested by the professor• Students have a right to attend a formal hearing if they do not accept the decision of

the conduct specialist

POSSIBLE SANCTIONS• For a minor, first time academic violation (undergraduate), the student

will most likely receive a “non-reportable” warning in addition to a plagiarism website referral. This does not create a conduct record, but the recommended grade adjustment will still be applied.

• If students feel that the grade adjustment recommended by the professor is unfair, the Student Advocate’s Office also has an Academic decision dedicated to assisting students with grade appeals.

• For a second time academic violation (undergraduate), the student will most likely receive a suspension of at least one semester.

• For graduate students, there is a “No Tolerance” policy towards academic misconduct. Such a violation would likely result in dismissal.

THE STUDENT ADVOCATE’S OFFICE

The Student Advocate’s Office provides free and confidential representation for students accused of academic misconduct as well as help with grade appeals, sexual harassment, residency, withdrawals, hate crimes, university and UCPD grievances, and all other Code of Conduct violations.

Contact us: M-F 10am – 5pm in 204 Eshleman

Website: advocate.berkeley.edu

Email: hep@berkeleysao.org

Phone: 510.642.6912