The M.Sc. program has been building up to the university’s Academic Integrity Awareness week through its Friday seminars during the month of September. “I like to begin the academic year with the Academic Integrity and Honesty theme because the majority of M.Sc. students are facing so many firsts,” says Director Dr. Marie Racine. “First time as a graduate student, first time at the U of S, first time in Canada.”

Through a combination of guest speakers, exercises and senior student presentations, the weekly seminars prepare new students for the program. “We have high expectations for the M.Sc. students and the sooner they are familiar with these expectations, the more comfortable they will be in their new roles,” Racine explains.

Seminars this September included a representative from the Teaching and Learning Centre speaking about proper citations, quotations and plagiarism; a presentation from Dr. Diane Martz, director of the Research Ethics office; and a plagiarism activity prepared by Dean Daphne Taras.

“Daphne’s exercise shows them how easy it is for us to detect plagiarism,” says Racine. “The majority of students are dismayed at the fine line between paraphrasing and plagiarism. I think they understand the importance of properly acknowledging another person’s work when they realize it is a way of showing respect for that person.”

She says the seminars where senior students present case studies are always a highlight of the series. “They can result in lively discussions – especially for the scenarios when a student finds that work very similar to their own has already been published.”

At the end of September, students are asked to sign a memorandum indicating their understanding and willingness to comply with academic integrity standards, though Racine says the topic doesn’t end there. “I encourage students to participate in Academic Integrity Week at the university,” says Racine. “And we practice and reinforce what we have learnt throughout the year.”

For more information on Academic Integrity Awareness week, visit http://www.usask.ca/integrity/.

M.Sc. Friday seminars are open to the public. The term one schedule can be found at http://www.edwards.usask.ca/programs/mscfinance/index.html.