A LITERATURE REVIEW OF STUDIES ON THE ISSUE OF

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN ACADEMIC WRITING

Submitted As a Final Project report For ELTS Course

Compiled by :

ASRI SEKAR MIRA

NIM. 15018088

Lecturer:

Dra. Yetty Zainil, M.A, Ph.D

NIP. 196407311989032008

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ART
UNIVERSITAS NEGERI PADANG
2019
A. INTRODUCTION

1. ACADEMIC WRITING & ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Unlike speaking, academic writing has intricate complexities in terms of the

richness of vocabularies, grammatical structures, the organization of content, the writers’
ideas and the rhetorical delivery of the message to the readers. While the oral speech is
quick to fade away after being uttered, the written discourse will be permanently recorded
in a transcript. The document of our own exploration and investigation on certain issue
will be always read, used and compared by more and more readers who are involved in
the subject without being restricted to the time. Consequently, writing is a challenging
process that needs certain behaviors and thinking in order to formulate, present, and
compare our own ideas and others’ cohesively and accurately. Especially in the tertiary
level of education, college students, serving as young academic writers, are required to
pay attention to the aspects of cohesiveness, form and content of their writings if they
want to be successful in composing their own academic writing tasks.
Greene and Lidinsky (2012) points out that academic writing is the acts of
academics and intellectuals in any particular disciplines to share and present their ideas,
opinions and assumptions in the forms of inquiring reports. It involves a commitment to
“think like an academic, read like an academic, do research like an academic and write
like an academic”(Greene and Lidinsky, 2012). That is why their proposal also suggests
that an academic writer needs characteristic intelligences, which are primarily in the
forms of critical and analytical thinking. Critical thinking will assist the owner to always
review others’ claims and perspectives carefully through asking some questions, giving
their own assumptions as well as opinions and comparing their opinions with others’
(both pros and cons) to seek out the critical judgement of the claims. Furthermore,
analytical thinking will lead to a deeper understanding of the issue through looking for
answers of our questions, gathering information from various resources as much as
possible and examining all of the data before we come to a conclusion.
These reasoning and examining processes will not be developed and progressed
without the supports of ‘the library, the internet or field research’ (Lester and Lester, Jr,
2010). Thus, in academic writing courses, college students are required to do research
before and while composing their academic writing manuscripts. Through research,
 students are able to present various evidences and sources in their own writings to enrich
and strengthen their claims or discoveries. It demands a sense of engaging with different
and various ideas and perspectives from experts specialized in the issue. Furthermore, in
the context of academic writing, one must hold a belief as what Lester and Lester, Jr
(2010) suggests, that a researcher will attain a final answer or discovery that is built upon
what he/she has read and studied along the way. We, as the academic writers, will build
our theories and discoveries upon past works/studies of others which are reliable,
trustworthy and contributive to our study. .
Since the works of others are influential and powerful to one’s academic
manuscripts, acknowledging and citing sources coming from others are absolutely
prominent. The Modern Language Acquisition of America (2010) thus asserts that
responsibility writers highly commit academic integrity. Academic integrity, according to
them, is the moral and normative thought someone gives by honoring and respecting the
works of others which shows academic honesty in their research writing. By committing
academic integrity, they regard highly the authorship of one’s ideas and works. Lester and
Lester, Jr (2010) propose that any kinds of original ideas one casts in their academic and
artistic works are counted as one’s intellectual property. If someone creates intellectual
and creative works, he/she automatically has a legal right to secure the copyright of
his/her original works. Moreover, as the academic writer who borrows others’ intellectual
properties, we then should uphold our moral obligations to use those properties with the
consent or the permission of the creators. Thus, by citing and documenting others’ ideas
and works, we automatically show our empathy and moral support toward the hard work
and vigorous effort someone has made in creating their original work or in developing a
theory/claim.

B. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING RESEARCH STUDIES ON THE ISSUE OF

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY IN ACADEMIC WRITING

1. The Scientific Essay entitled “Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: Guide to Using Sources” by
Chintia R. Haller
In her essay, Haller (2010) develops an interesting story about a college student
named Marvin majoring in Environmental Health at Any University who is still
confused about specifying the topic/issue and the sources for his paper project. Being
narrated in a conversational style, it describes that he uses an online educational
platform service called “Online Professor” with a purpose to clear out his confusion.
The characters of this story are only between Marvin and the Online Professor.
In the beginning of the story, Marvin expresses all of his difficulties in writing
the paper to the online professor to seek out some solutions. The difficulties he found
in the paper project are:
1.) He is still weak in the issue of health problem caused by contaminated drinking
water which was assigned by his college professor. The data statistics of the
contaminated water are provided, but he is still not sure on deciding which one is
better to recommend in his paper : whether it is bottled water or tap water.
2.) he is also still bewildered in selecting the relevant sources which are widely spread
in the library and in the internet.

Then, the online professor starts giving some enlightenment to him by firstly
defining the sources as “forms of meaning to make new meanings.” According to the
online professor, a source is the basic information which will give us knowledge and
insight upon which we can create our own knowledge on the issue. He also points out
that deciding the goal of our paper and the target reader firstly will help us in selecting
the sources. After the goal of paper and target reader has been determined, he then
presents the metaphors that can serve as a solution to Marvin’s problems, which are
walking, talking, cooking and eating.

1.) Walking. What the Online Professor means by walking is that we, metaphorically
walk, or go to any location where we could find relevant information or sources
that we need for our article. They can be found everywhere: in libraries, meetings,
interviews, brochures, class discussions, and internet. Specifically for the internet,
we can try and play around with different search terms to specify the relevant
sources which will be appeared in the search engine. Moreover, he also suggests it
is better to find online sources (e.g., books, articles and journals) in reliable online
scholarly databases, such as Library bibliographic databases than using a Google
broad search engine. He also advises to look at the reference list of the book or
articles we have found to discover more relevant sources which are listed in the
bibliography. In this walking, he doesn’t forget to highlight citing and
documenting source address to provide the information for the readers to know
and find the original source which we use for reference in our paper.
 Documentation will also help the readers to recognize whose theories which
become the basis for our study; thus, it will automatically boost the credibility of
our research manuscript.
2.) Talking. Talking here means that we engage with, or metaphorically, exchanging
ideas and information with several authors in a conversation. Basically, it is about
reviewing and comparing others’ ideas with our own ideas to look at different
perspectives and points of view on one issue. We also can agree with other related
specialists’ theories and ideas to understand more comprehensively on the issue.
In talking, he encourages us to go to certain parlors (read: the context) which are
relevant with the topics we are interested in. It means that we have to understand
the context of the conversation taking place: who the authors are, what they are
saying, where, when, and to whom they’re saying it.
3.) Cooking. After gaining knowledge from the talking, it means that it is now to
‘cook with the sources.’ Cooking basically conveys a meaning of processing the
knowledge, ideas and information from the sources in new ways. It can be direct
quotations as if we were throwing walnuts into a salad so that the reader
(symbolically interpreted as the client) can taste the flavor of original ingredients
(sources). Moreover, the information/ideas can be processed through paraphrasing
or bringing them altogether into logical patterns of ideas. The original flavor of the
ingredients (sources) might be washed out, but the documentation of the sources
are still helpful to refer to the context of the sources.
4.) Eating. This last metaphor refers to how a source can be internalized into our
storehouse memory. As what people say, “you are what you eat” means that what
we have learned throughout the process of investigating the issues/topics in our
writings will automatically stay with us and will be a part of us. We will gradually
master those issues/topics as we are continuously exposed to the information (i.e.,
sources, represented as ingredients) related to that. Eventually, our understanding
and knowledge about the issues that we are working on in our research will be
deeper and more profound to some extent that affects us in building our strong
position/stance on how we view the issues, particularly, and see the world,
generally.
2.) The Article Entitled “Beyond the Plagiarism Checker: Helping Nonnative
English Speakers (NNESs) Avoid Plagiarism by Jimalee Sowell
Being different with the previous one, this study primarily concerns about one
of the epidemic issues in academic writing, which is plagiarism. According to Haris
(as cited in Sowell, 2018), “Plagiarism is using another person’s words or ideas
without giving credit to the other person.” Sowell (2018) further believes that it is
better to make students become familiar with the topic of plagiarism and prepare them
some strategies in preventing the act of plagiarism rather than only explaining to them
about penalties and information about plagiarism perfunctorily in the writing course.
He then formulates specific strategies for Nonnative English speakers to prevent
plagiarism so that NNESs can boost the their capabilities and confidence in using
experts’ ideas, theories and evidence appropriately in their own writings.
In his article, Sowell (2018) firstly places the term of Nonnative English
Speakers (NNESs) in the context of both ESL and EFL speakers. He then explores
about the causes that underlie the acts of plagiarism on the parts of Nonnative English
Speakers. He took a sample of Korean student who had taken his master program in
South Korea and then doctoral program in Australia. ChoiYoung-Hee, as what has
been called, admits that there is a significantly different focus of education in Korea
(Asia) and Australia (West) where Korean education system emphasizes on tests and
exams for the assessment while Australian education focuses more on students’
academic writing projects as the requirements for passing the course. As what has
been argued by Carroll (as cited in Sowell, 2018) that some cultures favors
memorization skills as the standard academic achievement in their education system.
However, the focus of education in those cultures shows huge contrasts to Western
education culture which highly promotes and prefers inquiry, writing and critical
thinking skills (Pennycook as cited in Sowell, 2018). This education focus
consequently affects the intellectual habits between English native students and
nonnative English students where English native students will be more familiar and
more skillful in cooperating others’ works and evidence in their research writing along
with using the techniques in preventing plagiarism.
Further, he proposes several strategies that, hopefully, can be useful and
beneficial for the students and English instructors in order to fortify them against
plagiarism, as follows:
1. No quick fix. Plagiarism prevention can be done through long period of exposure
and approach to the issues in academic writing, which are plagiarism and
academic integrity. The approach and exposure to academic integrity can be
implemented in the forms of extra incentive programs and routine seminars as
well as workshops in regard to the subject of proper guidelines in writing
academic writing with evidence.
2. The “why” of citation. The instructors and teachers should give fundamental
reasons which lie under the significance of crediting sources. For the reasons,
since we, as the writers, require other sources and ideas where our ideas are built
upon, we have to engage with others’ ideas in the form of conversation. By citing
the sources, we acknowledge authors and their ideas that we are engaged with in
our writing. This citation can help the writers and the readers to track the
exchanging flow/patterns of writers’ original ideas and other authors’ ideas which
are presented comprehensively in the writing manuscript. On the contrary,
copying others’ ideas means that the writer is out of the conversation.
3. Teaching note-taking skills. Evering and Moorman (as cited in Sowell, 2018)
suggest a good technique of note-taking where students divide the paper of book
into 2 columns. The left column will be firstly filled with their own thesis
statement and key points of the essay coming from their authentic ideas while the
right column will be filled with the related sources to enhance the credibility of
their ideas. After that, students develop their essay according to the key points of
their own ideas and the basis sources which they have previously listed
beforehand.
4. Teaching Paraphrasing, Summary and Quotation. These are the best three
writing techniques in presenting supporting sources with which we want to
integrate. As long as we can evaluate the criteria of good and proper paraphrasing,
summary writing and direct quotation, our academic writings will be likely secure
from the issue of plagiarism.
5. Bringing it All Together.
The source integration also matters in academic writing. Students should be
competent or at least routinely exposed to determine whether the source
integration which someone makes has been effective or not and whether the
numbers of paraphrase and quotation have been adequate or not. The students are
 also encouraged to be able to answer the questions of why the quotation in some
cases is better used than paraphrase or vice versa and predicting why the writer
uses quotation instead of paraphrase in his/her writing.

For brevity’s sake, this article mainly concerns with the possible strategies that
the Nonnative English speakers and instructors can employ creatively in their
academic writings, specifically in the context of writing instruction. Sowell (2018)
also develops this article with a purpose to raise the awareness of plagiarism and
academic integrity in Nonnative English speakers’ writing habits. Truthfully
speaking, this article also opens the curtains of why plagiarism cases are often high in
numbers in Nonnative English speaking countries. Many studies always claim that
the English grammar and the complexity of writing in English play an important role
in encouraging students to plagiarize. However, in this article, Sowell (2018) can
reveal the most basic reasons of why Nonnative English speakers are often engaged
with the issues of plagiarism in writing: they are not familiarized with the custom of
research writing and critical thinking. The education system in a particular culture is
significantly crucial in shaping the habits of thinking and the quality of its people.
Therefore, for Eastern cultures who advocate memorizing materials as the accepted
accomplishment of learning, their people will end up getting a lot of troubles in
keeping up with research writing in their later studies if they decide to study to
Western countries.

C. CONCLUSION

It is worth mentioning that the essay written by Chintia R. Haller(2010) and the
article written by Jimalee Sowell(2018) similarly expose on how to commit academic
integrity in academic writing among scholar communities. Both the essay and article are
also developed with their focus is more on the technical explanation about the strategies
of making proper citation and proper documentation of the sources which we primarily
use in our writings. Both highlight the key points of academic writing, which are
acknowledging others’ works in the forms of proper writing techniques (quotation and
paraphrase) as well as crediting the authors’ works through citation. In addition, they
implicitly state that the ability of doing inquiry and research in writings should be aligned
with the ability of using others’ intellectual property without committing plagiarism.
 Haller (2010), in her anthology essay, makes an analogy of walk, talk, cook and
eat to relate the readers’ real world activities with the conventions of academic writing.
Haller, in this case, really pays a close attention to the resemblance between inquiries in
writing with people’s daily habits in making meanings of their lives. Consequently, it
tends to draw the target readers’ interest and attention to engage with the content of the
essay meaningfully. There are some life quotes that Haller presents in her essay which are
entertaining and engaging. Through the flow of conversation that is situated between the
characters of Marvin (serving as the actual representation of many students in the context
of academic writing) and Online Professor, the readers’ background knowledge and
curiosity on what is next to happen is developed actively throughout the course of
conversation.

On the other hand, Sowell(2018) uses a more scientific approach in presenting his
ideas of plagiarism and suggesting strategies to fight against this unethical act. He
presents all of the experts’ theories, claims and perspectives toward the issue being
discussed to answer the questions of the readers. After reading his article, the readers
surely get new interesting insights and data which are considered fresh and new in the
context of issues in academic writing. Especially speaking about the causes of plagiarism
in Nonnative English speaking countries, he opens up the differences of educational
custom and preference in the Western perspectives and particular cultures’ perspectives.
Through all of the data presented, we, as EFL speakers, become more aware of our East
cultures’ standpoints in viewing research and writing projects as well as critical thinking
skills. Thus, it is now the challenge and the responsibilities for all of the ESL and EFL
instructors and teachers in, at least, raising the interests of their students to participate in
analytical and critical writing tasks to get more exposure in technical things for writing
with sources.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Haller, Cynthia R. 2011. Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources in
Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1. USA: Parlor Press LLC.

Lester Jr, D. James, & James D.Lester. 2010. Writing Research Papers: Thirteenth
Edition. England: Pearson Education, Inc.

Lidinsky, April & Stuart Greene. 2012. From Inquiry To Academic Writing (A
Text and Reader). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Sowell, Jimalee. 2018. Beyond the Plagiarism Checker: Helping Nonnative

English Speakers (NNESs) Avoid Plagiarism. Washington, DC: Office of English
Language Programs, U>S> Departments of State, n.d. Retrieved from:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/etf_56_2_pg02-15.pdf

The Modern Language Association of America. 2009. MLA Handouts for Writers
of Research Papers. New York: The Modern Language Association of America.