Demonstrating academic integrity starts with understanding expectations and applying various strategies, skills, and habits. It is a process built through daily decision-making and behaviours that grow stronger with continued practice. York provides a range of support to help you understand and meet academic integrity standards, along with services designed to enhance your academic skills and set you up for success.
Proper citation in university is crucial because it acknowledges the original authors of the words, ideas and research that you reference in your work, which helps maintain academic integrity and avoid plagiarism. Additionally, proper citations allow others to trace the sources you’ve used, lending credibility to your work and contributing to the ongoing scholarly conversation.
Need help with citations? Here are some resources at York:
- Visit Citing York Work
- Complete the SPARK Creating Bibliographies module
- Watch the Writing Centre's Citation Video Series
- For detailed style guidelines, consult the Libraries’ APA, MLA and Chicago (which provide specific instructions for both the Author/Date and Notes & Bibliography formats)
- For information on how to cite generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, visit the Libraries’ Citing Your Work: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools
You an also contact the Library for additional support, which is available in different formats, including chatting with a Librarian for citation help anytime (live chat, book an appointment, meet in person or online).
Modules on academic integrity serve to educate and empower students to uphold academic standards and succeed in their academic journey. By engaging with these resources, students can build a strong foundation for success, ensuring that their achievements reflect genuine effort and understanding.
Review Academic Integrity Modules to learn more about the educational resources offered at York on academic integrity. This page includes links to various academic integrity modules, including the Academic Honesty @ York Modules.
- Each of the featured modules provide information on academic integrity expectations, and aim to help students avoid academic misconduct and gain confidence in their abilities to uphold integrity in their academic work.
Students who manage their time well are less likely to become stressed and overwhelmed, and less likely to engage in academic misconduct. This is because when students feel in control of their workload, they are less likely to resort to practices such as cheating or plagiarism out of desperation. Effective time management allows students to approach assignments with a clear mind, leading to more thoughtful and responsible decision-making.
Time management means organizing yourself and making the most of your time, which allows you to better meet your goals, become more confident, and learn more effectively. Familiarize yourself with time management strategies by visiting Learning Skills Services' Managing Time in University.
This guide offers a wide range of time management strategies, from prioritizing tasks to avoiding procrastination. Additionally, it provides access to upcoming workshops, as well as a variety of tools and tips to help you stay on track and maximize your learning potential.
York University Libraries' suite of online workshops features many offerings, including an online workshop on Academic Integrity and Citation Practices.
Academic Integrity: Learn to Stop Worrying about It
In this interactive, scenario-based workshop you will learn what Academic Integrity is at York and how you can demonstrate it. Additionally, this workshop will help increase your confidence when it comes to using sources and citing.
This workshop takes place several times each term through Zoom. Find the latest dates on News & Events. For more information and to register, visit Instructional Workshops.
As a student, it’s important to use AI tools in a responsible way to support your academic journey. By using AI tools responsibly, you not only uphold academic integrity expectations but also deepen your understanding of the material and strengthen your critical thinking skills.
Responsible use involves following institutional expectations and your instructor's expectations. If the use of AI tools in permitted within a course, make sure to use these tools as supplements to your own work, not as replacements for your own original thinking and your own original efforts. Responsible use also entails always verifying the accuracy of AI-generated content, evaluating its output and being transparent about its use by citing it.
Familiarize yourself with York's Senate Academic Conduct Policy and Procedure (effective as of September 1, 2024) to ensure that your use of AI aligns with their guidelines. Specifically:
- If students use “an undocumented or unreferenced content generator” (including the use of text-, image-, code-, or video-generating artificial intelligence), this would be considered a breach of academic conduct (section 5.2a, i).
- Additionally, if students receive assistance from these tools that is not authorized by their instructors, this would also be considered to be a breach of academic conduct (section 5.2a, ii).
Furthermore, specific responsibilities for students are identified under “Roles and Responsibilities” in the Academic Conduct Policy and Procedure (section 6):
- Students are responsible for following their instructors’ expectations for using AI tools, and are also required to acknowledge use of these tools. If they are unsure of expectations, students should seek clarification (section 6.2c)
Visit AI Technology & Academic Integrity: Information for Students for more information on
how to responsibly engage with AI tools and ensure transparency in their use
Did you know? Poor note-taking can result in the inaccurate documentation of quotes and citations, which increases the risk of unintentional plagiarism and academic misconduct.
On the other hand, effective note-taking practices not only ensure that you record sources accurately and avoid plagiarism, but these practices also enhance your understanding and retention of the material.
By taking clear and organized notes, you can better engage with the content, make connections between ideas, and ultimately improve your academic performance.
Familiarize yourself with effective note-taking by reviewing Note Taking Strategies and by completing the Gathering & Noting Ideas module.
Taking tests and exams are an important part of being a university student. However, approaching these assessments without adequate preparation can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and the temptation to make poor decisions, such as resorting to academic misconduct.
Proper preparation for tests and exams not only helps alleviate stress but it also empowers students to perform at their best, demonstrating their true understanding of the material.
By developing effective study habits, students can approach tests and exams with confidence and integrity, leading to more successful academic outcomes.
Learn about different types of tests and gain some effective strategies to prepare for tests and exams.
The Writing Centre can help you gain more confidence with academic writing, and can help clarify the academic standards for building on and reusing others’ work. Knowing these standards helps you comply with academic integrity expectations.
The Writing Centre provides personalized support to help you navigate the complexities of scholarly communication, including understanding and adhering to academic standards for incorporating and building upon the work of others.
By gaining clarity on these standards, you can ensure that your writing meets academic integrity expectations. This not only helps you avoid plagiarism but also strengthens your ability to contribute meaningfully to academic discussions and produce work that reflects a high level of academic rigour and credibility.
In particular, some of the resources you can access include:
- a multilingual studio that helps multilingual students with skill development
- the PhD Café for graduate students
The ESL Open Learning Centre (ESL OLC) is dedicated to helping students enhance their English language skills, providing comprehensive support in areas such as reading, writing, speaking, and essay composition.
Whether you need assistance with understanding complex assignments, expanding your academic vocabulary, or mastering the nuances of English grammar, the expert staff at the ESL OLC are here to guide you through the process.
Their tailored support ensures that students can confidently navigate their coursework and improve their overall language proficiency.
Additionally, International Student and Immigration Advising provides a variety of advising services tailored to meet the needs of international students.
York University Libraries offers a comprehensive collection of online videos designed to help you succeed in your studies by improving your ability to manage assignments, demonstrate academic integrity standards, effectively cite sources, and conduct thorough research.
These resources provide guidance on a range of topics, from effectively locating and accessing scholarly sources to critically evaluating the credibility and relevance of the information you find. They also provide you with guidance on working in groups, communicating effectively, citing properly and using citation management skills.
Whether you’re just beginning a research project or looking to refine your techniques, these videos are tailored to support your academic growth and ensure you are well-equipped to incorporate academic integrity practices throughout different types of academic activities and assessments as well as conduct thorough, high-quality research.
Academic peer support is about students helping students.
There are many benefits to peer support, including being able to connect with other students and learn from those who have previously been in your position. There are many different kinds of academic peer support available at the university, including: Peer Tutoring; Peer Mentoring; Peer Advising, and Peer-Assisted Study Sessions (PASS).
Your college or faculty may have peer tutoring. Ask your prof, TA, or student association to find out how to get connected with peer tutors, or visit Learning Skills Services.
In addition to the resources mentioned above, York University offers a range of student services to provide further support, assist you in achieving your goals and enhance your overall experience. These include support with stress and well-being, academic skill building and opportunities to connect with your peers to help you feel more integrated, supported and engaged throughout your studies.
Feeling overwhelmed? Find Mental Health Support here:
Get support with group work:
Gain skills help succeed in class, including:
Graduate Student Resources:
Connect with the York community:
