Doing Honest Work in College by Charles Lipson

Charles Lipson’s book Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success is among the books I have enjoyed reading. Plagiarism is to be avoided by students. Many students fail to comprehend the meaning of plagiarism. Students tend to use another person’s idea, thoughts, and opinion in their subject and end up with a plagiarized work. Plagiarism has a correlation with cheating since it cultivates dishonesty. Someone caught plagiarizing is liable for harsh penalties such as their work being awarded a zero or failing in the course. Plagiarism is like a disease and it is addictive. As students from Charles Lipson’s book, we should cease from using other people’s thought or ideas without authorization.

The Benefits of the Book

I have understood the benefits of honesty. Honesty is an important virtue that all human being should have. As a society, we need to cultivate honesty and it starts with our generation. The aim of the education system is to eradicate cheating. Lipson talks about students who cheat in exams in order to get credit. Some students cheat when doing assignments and passing exams. Students used to cheating end up losing when there is a provision of tight supervision. The same students carry the bad habit in their future lives. The bad habit leads to losing of job and unstable marriages. The repercussion of cheating is very unfriendly. There is stern disciplinary action such as suspension and termination. Being honest in doing our work is paramount in our academic excellence.

I have learnt that in order to achieve academic success, someone should have qualities that build a strong character and maintain the required ethic. Being honest is one thing that develops a good character. Your character needs to have what it takes to stand out of the crowd. Everywhere we go our character determine our morals. Academic success has a direct relation to discipline and good morals. Attaining academic success means someone being all rounded.

I have also learned the art of citation. Lipson clearly explains the power of taking notes. His instructions in the book are clear and precise. He brings out ways of avoiding accidental plagiarism through citation. He has developed a method that he calls “Q notes.” The process involves inserting the name of the author and the page number after anything extracted from another person’s work. He advocates that we should frequently use the strategy to avoid accidental plagiarism. It is useful since we can pull anything from another person’s work, but we must use a citation.

Another great benefit is learning how to paraphrase. That has a clear explanation in Lipson’s book using several examples. The many examples shed more light on paraphrasing technique. He shows how someone can steal another person’s idea but avoid plagiarism by paraphrasing. The examples give the right way to change the arrangement of words while stealing the idea. The skill is new and helps to avoid plagiarism.

Some Drawbacks of the Book

Charles Lipson’s book is not helpful in explaining different writing styles. The book is very brief in explaining the writing styles. I had high expectation in knowing much about the major writing styles such as MLA, Chicago, APA and Harvard. My interest was to compare and contrast the writing styles. I needed to gain knowledge on how to use the styles efficiently without confusion.

Insight That I Have Gained about Myself from Reading the Book

I have clearly understood the reasons why students fail. I have understood the benefits of doing honest work. In order to achieve academic excellence one should sincerely try his best to avoid plagiarism in his/her work, whether it is assignment, group presentation or test. The consequences of plagiarism are very painful as in some instances on can be awarded zero. Strategies provided by Lipson are well stipulated on how to avoid plagiarism; therefore, someone should not be a victim of plagiarism. Students tend to copy or pull other people’s resources directly while thinking that they are brighter than their teacher. Many students also cheat in exams thinking that they are smarter than their professors. Instead of using methods such as paraphrasing, citation and giving their own ideas, they pull other people’s resources without authorization. We can use other people’s ideas and thoughts, but we should remember to paraphrase and cite them. Doing honest work is crucial in achieving real academic success.

Why Academic Integrity Matters

Academic integrity is imperative and it matters a lot. It promotes the process of learning by ensuring there is attainment of rules and regulation of academic excellence. Students should embrace honesty while pursuing their education. They should try their best to uphold the integrity in their academic endeavors. Honesty should prevail in order for people to trust each other in the human society. Honesty builds good relationship and trust in the society. Academic integrity also entails fairness. The credit gained by student who cheats in exam becomes a short-term advantage compared to those who do honest work. It is unfair to cheat in exams while others are using their memory. It is good to follow instructions and to do honest work, as it is the road to academic integrity. Lack of honesty in academics greatly undermines the learning process. Dishonest student is unable to discover his strength and weakness hence, it prevents them from gaining the self-confidence. Students should always do the right thing to uphold their academic integrity. Honesty, fairness, trust and respect are important pillars in academic integrity. Academic integrity shows respect to other people’s work.

Basic Points to Consider When Using the Internet for Research

The internet has so much information. Many students who are used to doing their research or assignment on the internet face a big challenge from Lipson’s book. Most of the books found on the internet are unreliable. The source of the books and materials cannot be trusted. The books do not undergo checks before being uploaded. One cannot be sure if he/she is using the best book or material from the internet for the research. Students need to take precaution before using materials from the internet.

One of the solutions is establishing the origin of the book knowing the credibility of the person owning the material on the internet. Lastly, it is important to know whether your professor will accept your judgment in line with the material. That is because there is nobody that regulates the reliability of internet materials. The qualification of the writer or author of any material should be open to anyone viewing the content. You need to establish if the information is primary or secondary.

How Your Actions and Lifestyle Choices Will Affect You in the Future

My choices, actions and lifestyle in college directly or indirectly affect my future life. When I chose to be an honest person, it will positively influence my future life. That encourages academic integrity that will build a good relationship in the society. Being dishonest or cheating will negatively affect my future life. I will carry the bad habit with me. The bad habits have painful consequences while the good habits yield good returns such as trust and respect.

Priorities I Have in School

My priority is excelling in academics. My main aim and goal are to be successful in life. I want to start a company or secure a good paying in the future. My second priority is building good relationship with others. I can achieve that by being honest and trustworthy. My third priority is doing the right thing at the right time. That entails following the rules and regulations of the college. My fourth objective is having a good life in the future.

Insight That I Have Gained in Regards to My Behavior, Communication Style, Relationships, and Perspective in Life

I have to work on my behavior. I have to embrace virtues such as respect, fairness and understanding. My behavior is like a mirror showing what is contained inside me. It affects my character and self-esteem. I have to cultivate a good relationship with other people. I can only achieve these by being honest and doing my work. I have realized that in academic endeavor one needs to uphold the integrity. Life is two-way traffic and one should respect himself and others. We gain a lot in life by doing the right thing. We must take into consideration Lipson’s teaching that doing honest work leads to real academic success.

Steps I am Going to Take to Better Manage My Time

The following are steps to manage my time. I will be taking less than 40 minutes to prepare a meal. I will balance my efforts according to my priorities by doing the most important things first. These will make me concentrate and remain focused on my business. I will concentrate on doing my work in the morning since it is the time that I am most focused. I will take breaks between my work assignments. I will also keep track of my performance. I will create time for fun and relaxation. I will be sleeping for a maximum of 9 hours. I will also rearrange my plan when the need arises.

My Recommendations on Reading This Book

I recommend my fellow student to read Lipson’s book. The book is interesting and educative. The book is easy to comprehend. It provides insight to what we should perceive in life. It clearly explains the importance of doing honest work to attain real academic success. It explains avoiding plagiarism through paraphrasing and citing another person’s work. It will completely change a student who is fond of plagiarism and doing dishonest work. As students, we need to uphold honestly and do the right thing expected from us.