Student Spotlight: Meet Chelsea!

Each week, we'll be doing a Library Ambassador 'Student Spotlight' on the topic of academic integrity. Read on to hear each Library Ambassador discuss integrity in their studies!

Meet Chelsea! Chelsea is a 4B Honours Arts student.

What does academic integrity mean to you?

Academic integrity to me is respecting the time, effort, and brilliance of others (as well as myself!). It means giving credit where credit is due in terms of research and sources. As a social sciences student, I spend a lot of time doing literature reviewsand reading the work of great scholars. Upholding values of academic integrity to me is always making sure to attribute concepts or statistics I find to the people who developed and discovered them. Being able to build on each others’ work is a pillar on which good research is built — and that is undermined when academic integrity is thrown to the wayside.

Have you ever had a situation in which your academic integrity was tested? What did you do?

Yes I have! Anyone who knows me knows I love to write and edit, so I tend to be a go-to person for peer editing papers and assignments. There have been situations with friends and classmates who would have preferred that I just “edit to a better grade” instead of doing things like spell/grammar checks, or being a sounding board to develop ideas and supporting points. However, if I were to do that, it ultimately would not be in their (or my) best interest! I always try to be supportive and help where I can, while still making sure that it’s them doing the work while I just act as backup (and grammar police).

How do you maintain your academic integrity?

I maintain academic integrity by always being aware of policies and guidelines. I also think that professors and TA’s are great resources! If I’m not sure if something follows academic integrity guidelines and I’m still not sure after referring to policies, I will approach my prof/TA and ask for their opinion.

Which resources on campus (i.e. the WCC, the SSO, the Library) have you used and why did you find them helpful?

I spend a ton of time at libraries on campus! My program and minor program both run out of University Colleges (they’re cool — check them out!), so I spend a great deal of time at those libraries, but I’m also at Dana Porter quite often. I always feel comfortable going to the research help desk as a starting point, the staff and librarians there are always friendly and really helpful. I have also used the SSO drop-in peer success coaching at the library. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear things from someone who has been where you are in terms of school. In my first and second year, the SSO also ran workshops in classes during the first or second week on academic integrity and study skills. I found this really helpful, especially as a younger student (I’m in 4B now…time flies!) and have carried those tips with me over the last four years.