Northwestern University's Academic Integrity

In the pursuit of an honest academic and professional career, individuals must understand and adhere by a moral code that protects the integrity of one of the most powerful tools on this Earth--the human mind. Scholars must accept that there have been millions of people who have already researched, written about, or shared ideas dealing with the same endeavors that they devote their lives to studying in the present day. While collaboration is a beautiful, useful, and necessary process, every person deserves to be credited for his or her ideas and words, for originality in and of itself is difficult to foster. Therefore, the only just way to produce a work which pulls from other sources is to properly acknowledge the individuals who you borrowed ideas from, and furthermore, the practice of academic integrity gives more power to one’s own original words and ideas as it creates a foundation of respect which assumes that other writers will follow this same practice. …show more content…
8). Not only is this important in order to be conscientious but additionally to set a basis for a sort of repayment for one’s “intellectual debts” (8). If one properly recognizes the outside sources that he or she pulls from, that person plays a vital role in ensuring the perpetuation of honor in the academic world. The practice of academic integrity entails that there is insurance in place that protects the value of creativity and originality, and to work ethically promotes a safe sphere in which artists, academics, researchers, and thinkers can share their work without fear of