Lighting the Way for International Students: Illuminating Citation Practices

SUNYLA 2009 ConferenceJune 18, 2009

Content prepared by

Yu-Hui Chen & Mary Van Ullen

University at Albany, SUNY

ychen@uamail.albany.edu

mvanullen@uamail.albany.edu

Why Citation Practices for International Students?

• Increasing number of international students• Culture shock• Language barrier• Academic challenges

– Learning style– Academic writing– Citing sources

University at Albany International Student Enrollment Profile

Background Information

UAlbany Students Undergraduate 13246 339 2.60%Graduate 4956 699 14.10%Total 18202 1038 5.70%

University at Albany Fall 2008 EnrollmentUAlbany International Students

University at Albany Fall 2008 International Students: Places of Origin

Research Questions

• Do international students have a different understanding of plagiarism and academic integrity than is expected in U.S. academic institutions?

• To what extent can the workshops clarify common areas of confusion regarding plagiarism and academic integrity?

• How useful are workshop components in helping the students understand issues related to plagiarism and academic integrity?

Workshop Contents

• Pre-test• Sharing experience• Student discussion about differences in academic

writing between U.S. and their home countries• Interactive lecture and group discussions • Post-test

Pre- and Post- Test

• Format– Multiple choice– Likert scale– Open-ended questions

• Administering method– SurveyMonkey

Strategies of Promoting Workshops

• Flyers• E-mails• Listservs• Web sites• Table tents in library study areas

Workshop Attendees

• Number of students: 65• Program levels: undergraduate, graduate, doctoral• Academic departments: 10+

– Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Accounting, Economics, Informatics, Educational Administration and Policy Studies, Educational Theory and Practice, Sociology, Communications, Public Affairs, Social Welfare, Chemistry, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, etc.

• Students’ countries of origin: 17- China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Turkey, India, Germany, France,

Columbia, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand

Pre- and Post- Test Results

Pre-test v. Post-test

Mean Score

Pre-test 13.06

Post-test 17.26

Areas of Greatest Improvement

Pre-test Mean Post-test MeanAwareness of major citation styles 0.37 0.92

When to cite 0.68 0.98

How to paraphrase 0.35 0.60

Areas of Greatest Misunderstanding (1)

Count % Count % Count %Awareness of major citation styles 34 69.4% 7 43.8% 41 63.1%How to reference ideas of others 25 51.0% 4 25.0% 29 44.6%How to paraphrase 31 63.3% 11 68.8% 42 64.6%Purpose of citing 25 51.0% 6 37.5% 31 47.7%

Asian (N=49) Non-Asian (N=16) Total (N=65)Questions Answered Incorrectly

Areas of Greatest Misunderstanding (2)

Duration of Studying in the U.S. and Baseline Knowledge of Plagiarism

Test Scores by Academic Department

Test Scores by Program Level

Test Scores: Asian v. Non-Asian Students

Usefulness of Workshop Components

Most Useful Information Students Received from the Workshops

• Citation styles: APA, MLA• Citing sources is very important• Examples of plagiarism• Tips for avoiding plagiarism• How to cite sources in a proper format• Difference between summarizing and paraphrasing• Use of quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing

How the Workshops Help Students When They Write Their Papers

• Get to know some citation software, like Endnote• Follow one citation style and do it consistently• Become very careful about citing sources• Try to avoid plagiarism• Pay attention to citations and references• Learn how to paraphrase, quote, and summarize • Use APA to properly cite sources in papers

Students’ Suggestions for…

• Additional Topics– Using citation generators, such as EndNote– Hands-on exercises in using APA or MLA style– How to prepare bibliography

• Advanced Workshops– Citation workshops – Separate audience based on academic group– Practice quoting, summarizing, and paraphrasing– Longer sessions and more in-depth content

Some Quotes from Workshop Attendees

• “I like most about this workshop is that I have fully understanding of what is plagiarism in U.S. academic environment since we may have some culture misunderstanding about it.”

• “I liked the method used by the presenters which included examples and exercises…the workshop enabled classmates to share ideas and opinions. We could learn in groups…”

• “I think you should make us do more exercise on how to make quotation and citations”

• “I would definitely recommend the workshop to any foreign student or any student in general who is not familiar with the proceedings in the United States concerning plagiarism, correct citation, and all related matters.”

Lessons Learned

• Collaboration is the key• Interviews reveal students’ needs and help plan for

future workshops • Technology is not always reliable

Web Sites Consulted

• “Standards of Academic Integrity” University at Albany• “Source: Their Use and Acknowledgement” Dartmouth College• “Style Guide” University at Albany Libraries• “Learn to Paraphrase” University of Houston, Victoria• “Paraphrasing: Examples” University of Memphis Libraries• “Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words” Purdue University Online Writing Lab• “Example of How to Paraphrase Without Plagiarizing” Writing@Colorado State University• “Learn to Summarize” University of Houston, Victoria• “Carlos and Eddie’s Guide to Bruin Success with Less Stress” UCLA Library• “How to Recognize Plagiarism” School of Education, Indiana University Bloomington.

Example Test Question from the UCLA Tutorial Site

http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/col/bruinsuccess/03/quiz.cfm

• Eddie copies and pastes a few sentences from a web site into his paper. The web site doesn't list an author, sponsor or a date. Eddie should...

a. Not quote or cite it. There's not enough information to write a citation and if

it's on the web, it's public information and is considered common knowledge.

b. Quote and cite it.