TOPIC 7 ; ACADEMIC INTEGRITY & PERFORMANCE

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work.

Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and a breach of journalistic ethics. It is subject to sanctions such as penalties, suspension, expulsion from school or work, substantial fines and even incarceration. 

HOW TO PREVENT PLAGIARISM

Guard yourself against plagiarism, however accidental it may be. Here are some guidelines to avoid plagiarism.

1. Understand the context
Do not copy–paste the text verbatim from the reference paper. Instead, restate the idea in your own words.
Understand the idea(s) of the reference source well in order to paraphrase correctly.
Examples on good paraphrasing can be found here (https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase.html)

2. Quote
Use quotes to indicate that the text has been taken from another paper. The quotes should be exactly the way they appear in the paper you take them from.

3. Identify what does and does not need to be cited
Any words or ideas that are not your own but taken from another paper need to be cited.

Cite Your Own Material—If you are using content from your previous paper, you must cite yourself. Using material you have published before without citation is called self-plagiarism.
The scientific evidence you gathered after performing your tests should not be cited.
Facts or common knowledge need not be cited. If unsure, include a reference.

4. Manage your citations
Maintain records of the sources you refer to. Use citation software like EndNote or Reference Manager to manage the citations used for the paper
Use multiple references for the background information/literature survey. For example, rather than referencing a review, the individual papers should be referred to and cited.

5. Use plagiarism checkers
You can use various plagiarism detection tools such as iThenticate or eTBLAST to see how much of your paper is plagiarized.

CALCULATING GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)

A grade point average (GPA) is a number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over time. More commonly called a GPA, a student’s grade point average is calculated by adding up all accumulated final grades and dividing that figure by the number of grades awarded.

What is the difference between GPA and CGPA?

– CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) is the cumulative aggregation of your GPA of all semesters you have studied.

– GPA (Grade point average) is divide the total points by the total credits taken to obtain your semester grade point average. Divided the total points by the total credits taken to get your semester grade point average.

Step 1: In each column below, record the number of courses in which you earned each Letter Grade.  In the 8th grade column, only record high school-level courses.

Step 2: Add up the Total in Each Letter Grade Row.

Step 3: Multiply each Letter Grade Row by the Point Value for that letter grade.  This will give you a Point Value Subtotal.

Step 4: Add up the Total Courses taken in each grade level.

Step 5: Add up the Total Point Value

END- OF YEAR LETTER           TOTAL                          POINT            POINT VALUE
GRADE                                         EACH LETTER           VALUE              SUBTOTAL
                                                       GRADE
                                                       (MULTIPLY)
A             X                               4 =
B             X                               3 =
C             X                               2 =
D             X                               1 =
E             X                               0 =
Total High School Courses Taken               Total Point Value =

Step 6:  Record the values below.  Divide the Total Point Value by the Total Credits to get your basic GPA

_______________   ÷  ___________    =   _________

Total Point Value        Total Courses          Basic GPA

Table 1 : GPA Calculation

FAILURE AND DISMISSAL

Student with extremely unsatisfactory academic performance will/can be dismissed from hi/her study.

The status Dismissed (D)  that can be given to student include : 

Table 2 : Academic Status