Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics

Academic Success and Professional Development Plan Part 2: Strategies to Promote Academic Integrity and Professional Ethics

Part 1

The Connection Between Academic Integrity and Writing

Academic integrity comprises the regulations and guidelines within the academic sphere that guide students in avoiding academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism. According to Ellis et al. (2020), academic integrity is essential for maintaining high academic standards in higher education institutions by emphasizing referencing, honest writing, thorough research, and ethical academic publishing. Academic integrity is closely intertwined with academic writing because the quality of writing that students uphold, as well as readers’ perceptions, should reflect the author’s academic integrity in their work (Eaton & Edino, 2018). Nursing students can ensure academic integrity, especially concerning plagiarism, by properly attributing the authors of works incorporated into their academic assignments, such as essays or term papers. This acknowledgment fosters fairness between the author and the reader, recognizing the author’s creative effort in producing an original idea that contributes value to their work. Furthermore, it’s important to note that integrity, a strong character, and discipline play pivotal roles in shaping academic writing integrity.

The Relationship Between Professional Practices and Scholarly Ethics

Professional practices encompass the behaviors and conduct that define how professionals should conduct themselves in their work. Scholarly ethics, on the other hand, encompass moral principles and academic integrity when engaged in coursework or research activities. Scholarly ethics and professional practices are traditionally intertwined as they mutually reinforce each other (Fitzgerald, 2020). Therefore, individuals who uphold strong scholarly ethics tend to develop enhanced skills that can be seamlessly integrated into their professional practice. For example, healthcare practitioners who adhere to scholarly ethics are more likely to engage in evidence-based research before implementing medical interventions, reducing the risk of medical errors. Scholarly ethics also contribute to the development of creativity and confidence among nursing students, which are invaluable attributes for their future professional practices.

How Safe Assign, Grammarly, and Paraphrasing Impact Academic Integrity

Several critical tools can aid authors in enhancing the overall quality of their writing and identifying plagiarism or similarity issues beforehand. Among these tools, Grammarly is instrumental in detecting common writing mistakes such as tense discrepancies, spelling errors, punctuation issues, and incorrect verb tenses (Curtis & Tremayne, 2021). Grammarly’s utility lies in its ability to help nursing students produce academic work that is easily comprehensible to readers since errors in spelling and tenses can sometimes lead to misinterpretations of the intended message. SafeAssign is another essential tool used by higher education institutions to detect instances of plagiarism among students. Consequently, students are aware that copying and pasting content from various sources and presenting it as their own work is prohibited since SafeAssign can identify similarity indices (Masic, 2019). However, SafeAssign works in tandem with paraphrasing, as once it detects plagiarism, it becomes imperative to paraphrase the content to rectify the issue. Paraphrasing should be a fundamental practice in all academic work to prevent plagiarism while giving due credit to the original authors.

Part Two: Strategies to Uphold Academic Integrity as:

An MSN Student

I aspire to exemplify exceptional academic integrity while upholding the highest ethical standards throughout my educational journey. To achieve these goals, I intend to employ specific strategies. Firstly, I will allocate ample time for coursework and exam preparation. Consulting with my tutor, especially when I have questions, will significantly aid my assignment and exam preparation. Effective time management will be essential, allowing me to engage in additional studies using both the library and online resources. Furthermore, it is imperative that whenever I incorporate ideas from scholarly literature, I properly attribute the work of other scholars to avoid plagiarism. By adhering to these principles, I will uphold a high professional code of conduct, ensuring the preservation of integrity and ethics throughout my nursing career.

NURS-6051N Module 4: Week 6: Discussion on Healthcare Information Technology Trends

I will also maintain integrity and ethics by fostering open and honest relationships with patients and colleagues during my practice. Attending all classes and seeking necessary training to enhance my nursing capabilities while upholding integrity and ethics will be paramount. Additionally, I will explore resources related to professional standards and the nursing code of ethics to ensure I remain steadfast in adhering to these principles throughout my nursing career. These strategies collectively contribute to maintaining high standards.

My Nursing Professional Work

Continuous learning is essential for nursing professionals to adapt to the evolving workplace dynamics driven by factors like globalization and technological advancements. I plan to focus on my nursing career development every three years to ensure I consistently uphold integrity and ethics in my professional work as a nurse. This approach will equip me with the knowledge and skills necessary to stay current with emerging methods, enhancing my overall competence and ethical character throughout my career (West, 2020). Adhering to facility policies, professional codes of conduct, and patient care policies will remain a top priority, ensuring that I remain on the right path.

Review of Resources and Approaches

As a student, my planned tools and strategies include utilizing library resources, attending practical sessions as needed, conducting online research using technology, reviewing previous papers and projects to gain familiarity with test scenarios, and conducting research. As a nursing professional, I will employ various resources and strategies to enhance the ethics, integrity, and quality of service delivery in my profession. These include referencing established codes of conduct, pursuing additional training when necessary, attending professional seminars and workshops, fostering teamwork, and effectively utilizing technology (West, 2020). Additionally, I will make use of various nursing databases to ensure proper citation and access to the most current research and full articles, as exemplified by PubMed Central.

References

Curtis, G. J., & Tremayne, K. (2021). Is plagiarism really on the rise? Results from four 5-yearly surveys. Studies in Higher Education, 46(9), 1816-1826. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1707792

Eaton, S. E., & Edino, R. I. (2018). Strengthening the research agenda of educational integrity in Canada: A review of the research literature and call to action. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0028-7

Ellis, C., Van Haeringen, K., Harper, R., Bretag, T., Zucker, I., McBride, S., … & Saddiqui, S. (2020). Does authentic assessment assure academic integrity? Evidence from contract cheating data. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(3), 454-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1680956

Fitzgerald, A. (2020, July). Professional identity: A concept analysis. In Nursing Forum (Vol. 55, No. 3, pp. 447-472). https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12450

Masic, I. (2019). Plagiarism and how to avoid it. A guide to the scientific career: Virtues, communication, research, and academic writing, 163-177. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118907283.ch19

West, E. (2020). Ethics and integrity in nursing research. Handbook of research ethics and scientific integrity, 1051-1069.