Advisor of the Year
Michaela Meyer
Christopher Newport University, Sigma Kappa

Rookie Advisor of the Year
Nicole Defenbaugh
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Xi Omega

Chapter of the Year
Christopher Newport University, Sigma Kappa

Rookie Chapter of the Year
Stevenson University, Gamma Chi

Best Group-Authored Student Paper
Janna Raudenbush; University of Maryland;
Kristen Kiernicki & Mercedes McCurdy, College of New Jersey

Best Student Authored Paper
David Huther
Wheaton College

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Problem: Plagiarism and Breaches of Academic Integrity
Plagiarism, though often difficult to detect, occurs in various educational institutions, with undergraduate research projects being no exception. Turrens and Davidson (2001) state that students feel pressure to manipulate their own data in order to prove their hypotheses correct. Faculty and students alike can relate to the struggle of feeling unprepared, yet wanting to do well on a research project. Sadly, the pressure of feeling unprepared leads some students astray. For example, the internet offers many shortcuts to reading material in a substantial way. Instead of reading an article thoroughly, a student may cut and paste excerpts of that article into his or her paper, and call it his/her own work. If students are not taught how to write a quality literature review and set up a meaningful study, they often find instructions elsewhere. Often, these instructions are flawed. In short, students will always struggle at the last minute if they feel inadequately prepared to write a literature review, or to begin the prospectus for a research project.

To complicate the plagiarism that goes on in the literature review writing process, students will sometimes find shortcuts for discussing the results of their data collection. In experimental research projects, for example, students may feel pressure to prove their hypotheses correct. Graduate students often receive training and instruction on describing the results of an experimental research project, but unfortunately undergraduate students do not. Left to their own devices, an undergraduate student takes a stab in the dark at writing the discussion section, sometimes with little or no direction from an adviser.

Best Practices and Proposed Solutions for Deterring and Detecting Plagiarism

• Read and openly discuss the Credo on Communication Ethics with students. It advocates for sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant choices while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.
• Teach students what you expect from a research project. A research project, while significant to a specific topic, need not be earth-shattering. Sometimes, the simplest of findings are the most insightful, particularly if the research did not find what he/she set out to find.
• Offer workshops on the academic writing process. Use examples in class of relevant articles to which students can relate (e.g., humor, teaching, pedagogy.) Emphasize that revising is nearly 50% of the writing process. Prepare students to frontload their writing so that they leave plenty of time for revisions, and for running their rough drafts by you.
• Consult individually with students set up a study. Writing a literature review can be daunting, especially considering that most students won't write one until graduate school. Emphasize the important role of the literature review in producing clusters (e.g., main variables) of research.
• Discuss with students that it is not important to prove your hypotheses correct. We have just as much to learn from negating hypotheses: disproving a hypothesis simply opens a door for a future study. We don't know the truth until we experiment and research
• Train students how to write a results section that explains why hypotheses were rejected. Explaining results is a significant part of being an ethical researcher. Describing the limitations of the study, along with any remarkable findings, makes the project more interesting and informative.
• Build confidence and trust in students. Give students encouragement. Nurture their questions about the writing process. Be patient when revisions are multiple and lengthy.
• Tell students about your own grappling with writing issues and how the literature review and discussion section are the most volatile yet vital parts of the project
• Be vigilant, not obsessive, in deterring plagiarism. Run Google searches on key words in suspect papers. Run turnitin.com on all papers to see how much of it has been downloaded from an internet source. Check their articles and give them feedback about their relevance and quality.

References

Cooper, G., Elmes, D. G., & Stewart, J. S. (2001). Issues in teaching ethics to undergraduates. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http:// www.cur.org/conferences/responsibility/teachethic.pdf.

Credo on Communication Ethics (1999). National Communication Association Communication Ethics Credo onference. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www.natcom.org/Governance/lc/nov99/ResCredo.htm.

Turrens, J. F. & Davidson, E. (2001). Data manipulation by undergraduates and the risk of future academic misconduct. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http:// www.cur.org/conferences/responsibility/datamanipulation.pdf.

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*Caroline S. Parsons is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta National Faculty Advisory Board and a Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Clemson University. 

Acknowledgements to the members of the NCA 2008 Undergraduate Research Ethics panel: Sara Baker, Jason Munsell, Tim McKenna, Deborah Whitt, Daniel Cochece Davis, Randa Garden, Tracey Mohoney, Penni Pier, and Jeff Pierson.

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CAPITAL SEMESTER
This spring: January 13 - May 1, 2010
Georgetown University, Washington, DC
www.DCinternships.org/CS

Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies in partnership with Georgetown University, Capital Semester combines substantive internships, courses for academic credit, career development activities, exclusive briefings and lectures led by prominent policy experts.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the Final Deadline of November 1, 2009.

Students from who are members of ACHS honor societies will be given priority in scholarship awards from our general scholarship fund. Honors students should indicate on their application materials that they are a member of an honor society and list their society activities on their resume.

• Internships - Competitive placements with top sites in D.C.
• Classes - 12 transferable credits in political science and economics from Georgetown University
• Housing - Roommate matching and furnished apartments on Capitol Hill
• Guest Lectures - Featuring prominent government officials and policy experts
• Site Briefings - At the World, State Department, Capitol Hill and Federal Reserve
• Leadership & Professional Development - Leadership, mentoring and career building activities 
• Networking - Interaction with seasoned professionals and student leaders from around the world
• Scholarships - Over half of all students receive full or partial funding based on merit and financial need

Internship placements are available in the following subject areas:

• Politics, Public Policy and International Affairs
• Journalism, Communications and Public Relations
• Corporate Business and Government Affairs
• Nonprofit Sector and Community Service

For more information and an online application, please visit our website www.DCinternships.org/CS or contact Dana Faught, Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator, at admissions@tfas.org or 202.986.0384.

Please visit this website to request an informational brochure: https://www.dcinternships.org/tfas/brochure/index.asp

**SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIP CONSIDERATION FOR ACHS HONOR SOCIETY MEMBERS **

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