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Academic Integrity Question: WWYD

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luckystar112

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Background information:

Last semester I took a Juvenile Justice course online that requred a 10-15 page term paper. The prof never gave us any instructions on how to turn it in, so when the time came I sent it to his personal email (as did anyone else with half a brain). Then I sent him like 5 unanswered emails asking him if he even got my paper since I never got a confirmation. Finally, four days after it was DUE he updated the whole class through the website (the first time we ever "talked" to him) and told us that a paper would no longer be needed. All he said is "Since there is so much confusion with the paper it will no longer be required in this course. Average your three test grades to get your final grade".
So it sounds like some people never figured out how to turn it in or something. But then another student said that she talked to him and he told her that none of us followed his directions correctly and so he wasn't going to accept them.
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Yeah, he was a real prize. Virtually (literally-ha) unreachable the whole semester (let the computer do all the grading), but it was OUR fault. mmkay.
So of course this caused a HUGE ruckus. In the end he ended up telling us that IF we did the paper and IF we did it to his specifications that he would add two points to our final grade.

Thing is, that outcome did absolutely nothing for me since I already had an A in the course with the three test grades. If he gave me the two extra points I still got an A. He didn't MINUS any points for anyone who did the paper poorly, he just didn't count it. Not only that, but there was never any follow-up as to who (if anyone) got these extra points.

Here is where it gets interesting---
I am now taking a summer course on juvenile delinquency and I will have to do a 6-8 page term paper on basically the same thing I did last semester. I would like to "recycle" my old paper. I know that academic integrity includes "self-plaigarism", but do you think it would count in this situation? I fully admit that I am being lazy and I'm hoping that you'll tell me I will get away with it. haha. I could always just tell the prof the situation and ask her if it would be okay to use the paper again--and I'm sure that most professors wouldn't have a problem with it--but there is always the chance that she could say no...which kind of makes me want to just take my chances and remain silent. Deal with it only if it becomes a problem (and to be honest I think the chances are slim, but I swear I have a conscience).

So what would you do? Am I a horrible person for wanting to get away with this? Or do you think that given the backstory I'm thinking too much of it, as the paper was never "graded" and there is a chance it was never even counted at all?
It's a tough one for me and I just want to ensure that my laziness isn't affecting my judgment.
 
All I''m gonna say is look at the title of your courses. Seems to me, it''d be a pretty efficient way of "grading" your course to see what you''re going to do with the "non-received" papers.

I may be the only conspiracy theorist, although I''m usually not a conspiracy theorist at all, but I say DON''T do it!!

Why does it bother you that other people aren''t getting deducted? How does it affect you? Will it rank you lower in your class standing?
 
If it was submitted and used for your grade in the last class, then you need to write a new one for this summer''s course. Even if the two points it added didn''t change the letter grade you got.

If you didn''t submit it or withdrew it last time, then you can use it this summer without it being a problem in my book. But also consider if there is any way for others to look at this and think it is a problem.

Also, you are allowed to write things on similar topics and it might be a lot easier to write a similar but not identical paper this summer than to write a new paper from scratch. So that could be your lazy person bonus
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Date: 6/1/2009 12:40:39 PM
Author: somethingshiny
All I''m gonna say is look at the title of your courses. Seems to me, it''d be a pretty efficient way of ''grading'' your course to see what you''re going to do with the ''non-received'' papers.
Yes, I''ve thought of that as well. I think if I was going to get "caught", that would be the way. But at the same time a big part of me (like 85%) feels like I wouldn''t be doing anything wrong and I have nothing to be afraid of. He said he didn''t want our papers and only when we pushed (and people threatened to go to the Dean) did he say he''d give us the two points. It was almost like he was saying it so that HE wouldn''t get in trouble, but of course I have no way of knowing this as we were never given a follow-up as to if anyone ever got the two points.


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Date:
6/1/2009 12:40:39 PM
Author: somethingshiny

Why does it bother you that other people aren''t getting deducted? How does it affect you? Will it rank you lower in your class standing?
I might be kind of dense today but I''m exactly sure what you mean? The only thing that bothered me about last semester was that I worked for weeks on a paper that wasn''t even counted and he didn''t even feel like he owed us a real explanation. That does bother me. Not sure if it''s good karma or a bad OMEN that my paper is useful in the very next class I take. lol.

Also, not sure if this matters (and I swear I''m not trying to sound like I''m justifying it to myself, though I''m sure I am just a little bit
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) but the paper from last semester was double the size of the one that would be due for this class and it covered three subtopics. If I did use this paper I would basically be removing 4-5 pages, and reformatting (maybe even expanding upon) just one of my points in the original paper. So..technically it wouldn''t be the SAME paper, but it would save me a lot of work. Still--I can see where some people might have a problem with this....though I don''t understand it *yet*. If there is anything to understand....
Sigh. Confusing.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 12:53:38 PM
Author: cara
If it was submitted and used for your grade in the last class, then you need to write a new one for this summer''s course. Even if the two points it added didn''t change the letter grade you got.

If you didn''t submit it or withdrew it last time, then you can use it this summer without it being a problem in my book. But also consider if there is any way for others to look at this and think it is a problem.

Also, you are allowed to write things on similar topics and it might be a lot easier to write a similar but not identical paper this summer than to write a new paper from scratch. So that could be your lazy person bonus
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Okay, I think I see what Somethingshiny was asking now. It DOES bother me that those who did not get the two extra points would be able to use their papers again because for them it would be like their paper never existed. Yet those that DID get the two extra points have papers that are considered "graded". That doesn''t seem fair....though at the same time it seemed unfair to get no grade at all. GRRRR I wish I just knew if he gave me the two extra points or not! Perhaps I could email the professor, but I''m certain he wouldn''t write me back. He never wrote anyone back.
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Yes, your lazy person bonus is what I want to do. I don''t want to hand in the paper in the form it is in now. It was a 13 page paper when I only need to write a 6-8 page paper for this course. So it''s a little "too" thorough and I''d have to cut it down a LOT. But the paper I would turn in would have the same information and use the same sources. Are you saying that that is good or bad?
 
I''d do it.
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I''d totally want to, but I wouldn''t. I don''t need the worry that it might come back to bite me.

I''m not saying that it would, but I still wouldn''t. Did that make sense?
 
Date: 6/1/2009 12:40:39 PM
Author: somethingshiny

Why does it bother you that other people aren't getting deducted? How does it affect you? Will it rank you lower in your class standing?
I get your question now.
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Like I said, I'm dense today.
At the time (and perhaps a little bit now) it pissed me off that our professor was willing to pretend the paper didn't exist due to a few bad apples in the course. It seems like with every online course I take there are a handful of students who act dense and are able to manipulate things to their favor. This was the most hands-off professor I've ever had. The course was basically "read four chapters, take a test--read four chapters, take a test...etc.) and the paper was supposed to count for FORTY percent of our final grade. The ONLY VISIBLE THINGS on the class website was the link to the syllabus, a link to the place where you took your tests, and a link to a large microsoft word document that was titled "Paper Guidelines". Huge. In bold. In other words, you couldn't miss it---it was right there in plain view everytime you logged on. So if people didn't do the paper I feel like they deseved to get a failing grade rather than have it not count. But not only did it not count, but all the papers that weren't up to the prof's "standards" didn't count either. So basically you had to of had an A paper to get the two points, except he didn't even bother telling us who those people were. And if he was so willing to get rid of the paper in the first place I think it's safe to assume that there weren't many on that list. Sounds like he started reading some papers, thought they sucked, got ticked off and decided not to count them. I don't know. It's still a mystery!
 
don''t take the risk, your academic integrity is at risk. instead, just reference yourself in the new paper.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 1:20:57 PM
Author: Bia
I''d totally want to, but I wouldn''t. I don''t need the worry that it might come back to bite me.

I''m not saying that it would, but I still wouldn''t. Did that make sense?
It totally makes sense. It''s kind of at the point I''m at right now, except I think my urge to do it is outweighing my urge not to. I would never submit the same exact paper to two classes...but for some reason this doesn''t seem as bad. I''m supposed to meet with my advisor later this afternoon so I''m definitely going to ask her for her opinion. She''s really nice (and used to be a prof) so I will ask her what she thinks.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 1:26:46 PM
Author: blingmyring
don''t take the risk, your academic integrity is at risk. instead, just reference yourself in the new paper.
That''s a good idea too. I think I''m going to muster up the courage and email the professor of this couse. If she says no, I guess I tried, right?
 
Date: 6/1/2009 1:06:12 PM
Author: luckystar112
Date: 6/1/2009 12:53:38 PM

Author: cara

If it was submitted and used for your grade in the last class, then you need to write a new one for this summer's course. Even if the two points it added didn't change the letter grade you got.


If you didn't submit it or withdrew it last time, then you can use it this summer without it being a problem in my book. But also consider if there is any way for others to look at this and think it is a problem.


Also, you are allowed to write things on similar topics and it might be a lot easier to write a similar but not identical paper this summer than to write a new paper from scratch. So that could be your lazy person bonus
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Okay, I think I see what Somethingshiny was asking now. It DOES bother me that those who did not get the two extra points would be able to use their papers again because for them it would be like their paper never existed. Yet those that DID get the two extra points have papers that are considered 'graded'. That doesn't seem fair....though at the same time it seemed unfair to get no grade at all. GRRRR I wish I just knew if he gave me the two extra points or not! Perhaps I could email the professor, but I'm certain he wouldn't write me back. He never wrote anyone back.
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Yes, your lazy person bonus is what I want to do. I don't want to hand in the paper in the form it is in now. It was a 13 page paper when I only need to write a 6-8 page paper for this course. So it's a little 'too' thorough and I'd have to cut it down a LOT. But the paper I would turn in would have the same information and use the same sources. Are you saying that that is good or bad?
I think you need to rewrite it to the point its not plagarism... And read your schools academic integrity guidelines to see if there is anything on point. It would help if you can shift the thesis slightly or add something (in addition to cutting out half the old material) such that you could legitimately argue that it is a new work, even if there is a lot of overlap with the prior work. There is a different line for reusing your own material vs. someone else's but I would hate for you to get in trouble over this. Each field, each school may have different standards on this kind of thing.
 
I would explain the basic situation (wrote paper for other class, then prof dropped paper requirement) to your prof and see what she says. Explain the topic and how you''ll change it to be relevant to the course and fit her requirements.

I''m finishing up grad school now (will be an asst prof next year!) and my colleagues and I all agree that we''re fine with students reusing papers (or more commonly, writing a paper that can be used for two classes) as long as they ask in advance and make changes to make the paper suitable for the assignment.
 
I say this as a professor myself: talk to your prof. about it. Talk to her in person, if you can - e-mail can be very impersonal. 90% of the time, if a student presents a situation like this to me in an aboveboard, honest fashion, and demonstrates that their research is following a consistent trajectory, I''m inclined to go with it.

BTW, your former prof. sounds like a disgrace to the profession. I''m normally not a punitive person, but behavior like this makes us all look bad - talk to his dept. head.
 
When you feel the need to ask, you already know the answer (not that you wanted it
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).

Tell the new Prof and see if it''s acceptable. Otherwise, NO.
 
I emailed the prof and she wants me to send her the paper. She''s not going to let me get away with not doing any work, but it appears that she is open to letting me expand upon one of my subtopics. YAY!

Circe: You have NO idea. This was the most hands-off professor I''ve ever had. He never returned emails or interacted with us at all. We basically had to fend for ourselves. Not that it was hard or anything, but it would have been nice to get some type of correspondence back from him at some point. I was panicked for several days wondering if he even GOT my paper. It sucked going into the class believing that this paper was almost half of your grade only for it to be worth next to nothing in the end. I''m sure he was probably a paper "snob" too. He wrote in the word document that there is no such thing as a "perfect" paper and to not get offended by his comments--that critiquing your work is not the same as insulting your mother. haha
I think that when a prof feels the need to make that clear that there was probably something else going on there...
 
Hi there -
I must first say I haven''t read any of the answers before mine but teach social work and to comment on the class you took that the professor changed his mind and didn''t require a paper. Where I work, the course outline/syllabus is considered a contract between the instructor and the students so the instructor has an obligation (in my mind anyway) to mark your papers and consider them part of your grade. now to the other question about handing in the same paper to this new class, don''t do it. Don''t risk your academic career. I would suggest you take some idea from your old paper that intrigues you and explore that and if you use any of the material from your old paper that you reference yourself. Better to be safe than sorry.
Hope this helps, and yes, I am a hard a$$ instructor
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For undergraduate studies, the answer is no. However, it wouldn''t hurt to talk to the professor about the situation and ask if you can write a similar paper, but add something to it or change the topic slightly. Perhaps he/she would accept the paper if re-vamped and improved.

The interesting thing about graduate studies is that it is perfectly acceptible (at least in my field) to recycle papers for classes. In fact, it is often encouraged. We are encouraged to use our MA paper or other papers as class papers (as long as they are relevant to the class topic) in order to find time to improve them and get them ready for publication. If we didn''t do this we''d never finish with any publications if we were continuously writing new papers for class.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 3:04:29 PM
Author: kcoursolle

The interesting thing about graduate studies is that it is perfectly acceptible (at least in my field) to recycle papers for classes. In fact, it is often encouraged. We are encouraged to use our MA paper or other papers as class papers (as long as they are relevant to the class topic) in order to find time to improve them and get them ready for publication. If we didn''t do this we''d never finish with any publications if we were continuously writing new papers for class.


Same here. At the start of my program, one prof stated that any project or paper we use, we should aim to be able to use at least three times. Not simply turning in the same work, but how could we utilize the time spent researching and writing to create a presentation, paper, article etc...

My own critical light worries that she is asking you to turn in the whole paper from the start, which means she has the opportunity to compare one paper to the other? I think expanding on, or formating the paper to fit the needs of this new class is ideal, regardless of if it was previously graded, disregarded or given two points in another class. let us know how it goes.
 
I agree, online classes can sometimes be annoying. If there are enough people that don''t do things the right way, some teachers will just let go of whatever it is that no one else wants to do. A lot of people assume that an online class will be easy and won''t read for posts/quizzes, or won''t even buy the book at all.
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Its awesome that your professor wants to take a look at it!
 
I have to say, I don't see the furor about recycling the paper.

It is YOUR work; not someone else's. Unless your ideology has somehow changed since the last paper, writing the same topic again would bear substantially similar ideas and thoughts.

The whole notion of 'self-plagarism' is ridiculous to me; it's an oxymoron. You can't "steal" from yourself. It shouldn't matter when you did the work as long as you did it. If you were bright enough to have previously produced something that still holds merit today, I don't see why you shouldn't or couldn't use it.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 2:54:56 PM
Author: luckystar112
I emailed the prof and she wants me to send her the paper. She''s not going to let me get away with not doing any work, but it appears that she is open to letting me expand upon one of my subtopics. YAY!
That was the proper way to handle it.
I have had teachers let me recycle papers for different classes with a minor rewrite where others wanted a fresh paper but I did draw heavily on the past paper and research.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 5:41:11 PM
Author: Allison D.
I have to say, I don''t see the furor about recycling the paper.


It is YOUR work; not someone else''s. Unless your ideology has somehow changed since the last paper, writing the same topic again would bear substantially similar ideas and thoughts.


The whole notion of ''self-plagarism'' is ridiculous to me; it''s an oxymoron. You can''t ''steal'' from yourself. It shouldn''t matter when you did the work as long as you did it. If you were bright enough to have previously produced something that still holds merit today, I don''t see why you shouldn''t or couldn''t use it.

There are a couple of reasons for it: at the undergraduate level, it basically functions as double-dipping. Sure, it may be your own work, but it''s work that you already did for another class, and if you could simply resubmit it to this one, you''d have an unfair advantage over the other students. It can also establish poor work habits for future research. The kind of reuse that kcourselle and mayachel are talking about is different, as it presupposes the further development of research in each iteration, but if I were to, say, read a colleague''s paper in a journal, and then pick up a copy of their new book only to recognize three or four paragraphs every couple of pages, I''d think it was a bit shoddy unless it was clearly cited ... and if I happened to work in their dept. and knew that both publications were being counted towards their tenure, I''d be pissed.
 
Ok, here's my take and I'm a writing prof:

Recycling your own work is dishonest IF you are passing it off as a "NEW" paper. Simply go to your current professor, explain the situation, and say that since you never received a grade/feedback on the first essay, you'd like to revise the same essay to fit the parameter of this course's assignment so that you can actually benefit and learn from the work that you've already done.

I've had students come to me with similar situations before (believe it or not) and I've allowed an essay that was previously written but not submitted for a grade/published to be used in my course.

ETA: I didn't see that you'd already followed my advice (because others said it first, haha)! Excellent :) I'm glad it's working out! Also, Circe - great explanation.
 
I always err on the side of "if you''re questioning your personal ethics, don''t do it." Yes it''s your paper and you wrote it, but in my opinion it''s treading a very thin line....
 
Date: 6/1/2009 5:41:11 PM
Author: Allison D.
I have to say, I don''t see the furor about recycling the paper.


It is YOUR work; not someone else''s. Unless your ideology has somehow changed since the last paper, writing the same topic again would bear substantially similar ideas and thoughts.


The whole notion of ''self-plagarism'' is ridiculous to me; it''s an oxymoron. You can''t ''steal'' from yourself. It shouldn''t matter when you did the work as long as you did it. If you were bright enough to have previously produced something that still holds merit today, I don''t see why you shouldn''t or couldn''t use it.

Ditto.
 
Date: 6/1/2009 7:12:49 PM
Author: Elmorton
Ok, here''s my take and I''m a writing prof:

Recycling your own work is dishonest IF you are passing it off as a ''NEW'' paper. Simply go to your current professor, explain the situation, and say that since you never received a grade/feedback on the first essay, you''d like to revise the same essay to fit the parameter of this course''s assignment so that you can actually benefit and learn from the work that you''ve already done.
I completely agree. It''s understandable you''d want your paper and thoughts evaluated, which hasn''t happened yet. Revising it to fit the class requirement and submitting it should be okay since, although you wrote it last semester, it was not read or graded. However, I''d get the new instructor''s ok just to cover yourself.
 
First of all, I''m going to tell you to breathe.
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It''s OK. I believe you are worrying too much about this [I speak as retired 20 year faculty from Northeastern University - math department and then business school].

My suggestion is that you simply rewrite the paper from the perspective of your current course [unless your opinions have done a 180 degree turn or the research has changed since then!]. You will have to cut it down in any case [since the new requirements are for a shorter paper]. You will be able to add anything you think you may have missed during your first draft. This should not be particularly tedious or time consuming.

You will wind up with a more concise and improved rewrite of your previous thoughts slanted towards the question you need to answer for your current course.

I believe that there is no reason for concern.
 
I think talking to your professor is the way to go. It''s not worth taking the chance on getting in trouble and hopefully you can at least use it as a basis for a new paper anyway.
 
Just popped back in, glad you figured it out!! I do hope that the other prof appreciates your hard work!
 
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