Ethical Issues in Higher Education - An Annotated Bibliography
Bodi, S. (1998). Ethics and information technology: Some principles to guide students.Journal of Academic Librarianship (24) 6, 459-463.
The author stresses the need for teaching students ethical principles to guide them when using informational technology. Study results are included that show the need for faculty and library staff to work as partners in this endeavor. Kant’s categorical imperative is highlighted as a moral code for students to follow when making ethical decisions involving the internet and its use. Practical suggestions are detailed for teaching students ethical behavior.
Christenbury, L. (2009). It’s not as simple as it seems: Doing honest academic work in an age of point and click.Knowledge Quest (37) 3, 16-23.
The author details her experiences with student plagiarism both in secondary school and in higher education. Examples are given whereby some students plagiarized with intent, while others misunderstood the rules of citation and had misperceptions regarding what constitutes plagiarism. The author points out the current concern in higher education for foreign students studying in America whose culture offers different ideas of what constitutes original work. Also pointed out is the fact that the borrowing of ideas and phrases, without acknowledgement, was common in the past by such notables as Shakespeare. Suggestions are offered to help alleviate plagiarism issues, including creating assignments where blatant plagiarism is less likely.
Author states that as new librarians are entering the field of academic librarianship, they often face age discrimination, including disrespect and unrealistic performance expectations. Job dissatisfaction leads to loss of employee retention for academic libraries. Author states that 59% of new librarians with 1-3 years of experience have changed jobs at least once. Article discusses anecdotal evidence of ageism, stating that research involving discrimination against young librarians is currently limited. Several suggestions for preventative measures to deal with issue are detailed. Further research and empirical study into this issue is encouraged.
Cosgrove, J., Norelli, B., & Putnam, E. (2005). Setting the record straight: How online database providers are handling plagiarism and fabrication issues. College & Research Libraries (66) 2, 136-148.
Article explores how database providers such as EBSCO, LexisNexis, ProQuest, and Thomson/Gale are handling retractions and corrections on the articles they offer in their products. Author points out the need for librarians to be able to trust these resources to be proactive in dealing with these issues in order to be able to guide students to use them without misgivings. Past research showed medical database providers (i.e. MEDLINE) were ensuring that retraction notices were available to users. Current survey conducted by authors showed that nonscientific database providers were inconsistent in their responses to plagiarism and/or fabrication in articles, and largely believed original article publisher or licensor was responsible for notifying them of such issues. Survey also showed that none of the database providers surveyed used links for corrections within their databases.
Forrest, L.U. (2005). Academic librarians and student affairs professionals: An ethical collaboration for higher education.Education Libraries (28) 1, 11-15.
Author states that the ALA’s ethical standards direct librarians to collaborate with faculty to support students. In addition, the ACPA ‘s (American College Personnel Association) Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards directs members to collaborate with other members of the academic community. Article lists reasons why that collaboration should include librarians and student affairs professionals. Authors point to the dearth of literature documenting partnerships of this nature and list examples of how such a partnership could benefit both professionals and the students they serve.
Iacovino, L. (2002). Ethical principles and information professionals: Theory, practice, and education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries (33) 2, 57-74.
The author discusses the need for ethics to guide behavior and decision-making in many professional contexts, including for informational professionals. A discussion of what ethics entails and of several ethical theories follows, including those of Immanual Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Two models encouraged for use as a framework for ethical decision-making for information professionals are practice skills and the professional-client relationship model. Practice skills is defined as a model that is based on the activities and professional duties of the position. The professional-client relationship model is defined as the ethical and regulatory context that exists in the relationship between an information professional and a client, and in the relationship of the information professional to other professionals.
Jackson, P. (2006). Plagiarism instruction online: Assessing undergraduate students’ ability to avoid plagiarism.College & Research Libraries (67)5, 418-428.
Surveys have shown an increase in plagiarism on college campuses. Article details research showing college students lack a full understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, are uncertain how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism, and are not able to correctly cite sources. Author suggests that libraries, as centers of learning on campus, should be directly involved in plagiarism awareness and instruction. Research study was conducted on whether web-based information literacy tutorials on plagiarism could make an impact on problem. Results showed that students who completed the tutorial showed an improvement in their basic understanding of plagiarism, although they still required more practice in paraphrasing their research sources.
Million, A.C. & Fisher, K.N. (1986). Library records: A review of confidentiality laws and policies.Journal of Academic Librarianship (11) 6, 346-349.
This articles details confidentiality issues in regards to patron and other library records. Real-life cases wherein patron information was sought and/or disclosed are given as examples. State laws from several different states regarding the confidentiality of library records are discussed. The need for library staff to be familiar with their states’ statutes and to have a written policy in place to safeguard patron information is stated.
Peterson, K. G. (1983). Ethics in academic librarianship: The need for values.Journal of Academic Librarianship (9) 3, 132-137.
This article outlines the need for ethics in helping to guide long-term planning and in setting policies and procedures in an academic library setting. Honesty, professional integrity, and respect for people are three ethical principles that are highlighted, with examples of where each of these principles can be applied in such areas as collection development, evaluation of library space needs, organizational communication, research and publishing, and professional development. Background information is given on how the ALA Code of Ethics was created and has evolved over time.
Yeung, F.P.F & Keup, J.R. (2009). Ethical decision making in college: Choosing between right, wrong, and the space in between. A SERU project research paper. Research & occasional paper series: CSHE.2.09.Center for Studies in Higher Education,
13 p.
Authors’ research study, conducted within the University of California school system, sought to determine what students’ ethical beliefs were and how their personal values and perceptions of behavior differed. A survey was conducted at UCLA in 2006, with questions that addressed students’ ethical values. The article details the results from the surveys of the 33% of students who completed them, indicating that students most strongly disagreed with behaviors listed on the survey that compromised academic integrity and honesty, such as cheating on a test or plagiarizing. Other behaviors, such as using solution sets or sample papers to complete assignments, and downloading unlicensed software onto a personal computer, were seen as behaviors that most students had participated in during the previous school year. The authors determined that the results of the study aid in identifying college students’ ethical code, and point to opportunities for ethical and moral guidance within the college curriculum.
R.Beaudoin
Updated 7/10
Logo Image from www.piaw.org/
This personal wiki is not an official University of Rhode Island Web page. The University of Rhode Island provides personal web pages for faculty, staff, and students as a forum for self-expression. The University does not review personal web pages and accepts no responsibility for the content of these pages. The views and opinions expressed on both the Web pages themselves and/or of material accessed via links to other pages are those of the page authors only and are not in any way an official publication of the University.
LSC 593 - Independent Study - Rosanne Beaudoin
Ethical Issues in Higher Education - An Annotated Bibliography
Bodi, S. (1998). Ethics and information technology: Some principles to guide students. Journal of Academic Librarianship (24) 6, 459-463.
The author stresses the need for teaching students ethical principles to guide them when using informational technology. Study results are included that show the need for faculty and library staff to work as partners in this endeavor. Kant’s categorical imperative is highlighted as a moral code for students to follow when making ethical decisions involving the internet and its use. Practical suggestions are detailed for teaching students ethical behavior.
Christenbury, L. (2009). It’s not as simple as it seems: Doing honest academic work in an age of point and click. Knowledge Quest (37) 3, 16-23.
The author details her experiences with student plagiarism both in secondary school and in higher education. Examples are given whereby some students plagiarized with intent, while others misunderstood the rules of citation and had misperceptions regarding what constitutes plagiarism. The author points out the current concern in higher education for foreign students studying in America whose culture offers different ideas of what constitutes original work. Also pointed out is the fact that the borrowing of ideas and phrases, without acknowledgement, was common in the past by such notables as Shakespeare. Suggestions are offered to help alleviate plagiarism issues, including creating assignments where blatant plagiarism is less likely.
Chu, M. (2009). Ageism in academic librarianship. Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (10) 2. Retrieved at http://southernlibrarianship.icaap.org/content/v10n02/chu_m01.html#_edn17
Author states that as new librarians are entering the field of academic librarianship, they often face age discrimination, including disrespect and unrealistic performance expectations. Job dissatisfaction leads to loss of employee retention for academic libraries. Author states that 59% of new librarians with 1-3 years of experience have changed jobs at least once. Article discusses anecdotal evidence of ageism, stating that research involving discrimination against young librarians is currently limited. Several suggestions for preventative measures to deal with issue are detailed. Further research and empirical study into this issue is encouraged.
Cosgrove, J., Norelli, B., & Putnam, E. (2005). Setting the record straight: How online database providers are handling plagiarism and fabrication issues. College & Research Libraries (66) 2, 136-148.
Article explores how database providers such as EBSCO, LexisNexis, ProQuest, and Thomson/Gale are handling retractions and corrections on the articles they offer in their products. Author points out the need for librarians to be able to trust these resources to be proactive in dealing with these issues in order to be able to guide students to use them without misgivings. Past research showed medical database providers (i.e. MEDLINE) were ensuring that retraction notices were available to users. Current survey conducted by authors showed that nonscientific database providers were inconsistent in their responses to plagiarism and/or fabrication in articles, and largely believed original article publisher or licensor was responsible for notifying them of such issues. Survey also showed that none of the database providers surveyed used links for corrections within their databases.
Forrest, L.U. (2005). Academic librarians and student affairs professionals: An ethical collaboration for higher education. Education Libraries (28) 1, 11-15.
Author states that the ALA’s ethical standards direct librarians to collaborate with faculty to support students. In addition, the ACPA ‘s (American College Personnel Association) Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards directs members to collaborate with other members of the academic community. Article lists reasons why that collaboration should include librarians and student affairs professionals. Authors point to the dearth of literature documenting partnerships of this nature and list examples of how such a partnership could benefit both professionals and the students they serve.
Iacovino, L. (2002). Ethical principles and information professionals: Theory, practice, and education. Australian Academic & Research Libraries (33) 2, 57-74.
The author discusses the need for ethics to guide behavior and decision-making in many professional contexts, including for informational professionals. A discussion of what ethics entails and of several ethical theories follows, including those of Immanual Kant and Jeremy Bentham. Two models encouraged for use as a framework for ethical decision-making for information professionals are practice skills and the professional-client relationship model. Practice skills is defined as a model that is based on the activities and professional duties of the position. The professional-client relationship model is defined as the ethical and regulatory context that exists in the relationship between an information professional and a client, and in the relationship of the information professional to other professionals.
Jackson, P. (2006). Plagiarism instruction online: Assessing undergraduate students’ ability to avoid plagiarism. College & Research Libraries (67) 5, 418-428.
Surveys have shown an increase in plagiarism on college campuses. Article details research showing college students lack a full understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, are uncertain how to paraphrase to avoid plagiarism, and are not able to correctly cite sources. Author suggests that libraries, as centers of learning on campus, should be directly involved in plagiarism awareness and instruction. Research study was conducted on whether web-based information literacy tutorials on plagiarism could make an impact on problem. Results showed that students who completed the tutorial showed an improvement in their basic understanding of plagiarism, although they still required more practice in paraphrasing their research sources.
Million, A.C. & Fisher, K.N. (1986). Library records: A review of confidentiality laws and policies. Journal of Academic Librarianship (11) 6, 346-349.
This articles details confidentiality issues in regards to patron and other library records. Real-life cases wherein patron information was sought and/or disclosed are given as examples. State laws from several different states regarding the confidentiality of library records are discussed. The need for library staff to be familiar with their states’ statutes and to have a written policy in place to safeguard patron information is stated.
Peterson, K. G. (1983). Ethics in academic librarianship: The need for values. Journal of Academic Librarianship (9) 3, 132-137.
This article outlines the need for ethics in helping to guide long-term planning and in setting policies and procedures in an academic library setting. Honesty, professional integrity, and respect for people are three ethical principles that are highlighted, with examples of where each of these principles can be applied in such areas as collection development, evaluation of library space needs, organizational communication, research and publishing, and professional development. Background information is given on how the ALA Code of Ethics was created and has evolved over time.
Yeung, F.P.F & Keup, J.R. (2009). Ethical decision making in college: Choosing between right, wrong, and the space in between. A SERU project research paper. Research & occasional paper series: CSHE.2.09. Center for Studies in Higher Education,
13 p.
Authors’ research study, conducted within the University of California school system, sought to determine what students’ ethical beliefs were and how their personal values and perceptions of behavior differed. A survey was conducted at UCLA in 2006, with questions that addressed students’ ethical values. The article details the results from the surveys of the 33% of students who completed them, indicating that students most strongly disagreed with behaviors listed on the survey that compromised academic integrity and honesty, such as cheating on a test or plagiarizing. Other behaviors, such as using solution sets or sample papers to complete assignments, and downloading unlicensed software onto a personal computer, were seen as behaviors that most students had participated in during the previous school year. The authors determined that the results of the study aid in identifying college students’ ethical code, and point to opportunities for ethical and moral guidance within the college curriculum.
R.Beaudoin
Updated 7/10
Logo Image from www.piaw.org/
This personal wiki is not an official University of Rhode Island Web page. The University of Rhode Island provides personal web pages for faculty, staff, and students as a forum for self-expression. The University does not review personal web pages and accepts no responsibility for the content of these pages. The views and opinions expressed on both the Web pages themselves and/or of material accessed via links to other pages are those of the page authors only and are not in any way an official publication of the University.