Academic Integrity for Faculty

In Assiniboine's policy A25, fabrication is defined as “the intentional misrepresentation of any information in an academic exercise” (Assiniboine Community College, 2013). 

Fabrication compromises the authenticity of:

• data,
• research,
• and references

in student assignments. The accurate representation of work and knowledge is crucial for instructors to be able to assess and evaluate student performance.

Fabrication includes various intentional acts, but can also include the results of students misusing sources or research tools. 

• Inventing or exaggerating data or information
• Falsifying research
• Listing incorrect or fictitious references. For example, citing a quote in a book review and indicating that the citation actually came from the book itself is a fabrication.

Students must ensure that all information and data submitted in assignments is authentic. This means:

• listing references for sources which they have accessed, read, understood, and applied in their own work
• being aware that sources generated by the misuse of generative artificial intelligence tools may not exist, and that including them in an assignment will be viewed as fabrication.

Even citing secondary or indirect sources without accessing the original may be considered fabrication. Instructors and/or Library staff may check for irregularities, and students are always responsible for their submitted work.

To prevent fabrication, instructors should take proactive steps:

• Discuss fabrication and academic integrity with students
• Provide clear guidelines on data and research findings
• Provide examples for presenting data and research
• Use academic integrity checklist
• Use research checklist
• Integrate course learning materials
• Implement assignment scaffolding with multiple drafts
  • Provide ongoing feedback and build on prior knowledge
• Use shorter, in-class assignments to help identify skills/abilities
• Require that students provide research notes if requested
• Require use of references to in-class activities
• Assign live presentations or demonstrations in person or on digital platforms such as Zoom
  • Akimov & Malin (2020) list some of the advantages of oral examinations as being an increased desire to learn, reduced academic misconduct, and being faster to mark than written exams, with another consideration being that they are best suited for smaller classes of more experienced students.
• Accept only sources personally accessed, read, understood, and intentionally applied by students
• Allow students to learn proper usage of generative artificial intelligence tools
• Seek assistance from Assiniboine support staff, including Student Success Advisors and the Library

Just as with other forms of academic misconduct, knowing your students and their language and research abilities/style is the best way to identify fabrication. If something suddenly sounds like it was written by a different person with a different vocabulary, it may have been. 

Prevention methods mentioned in the previous section will reduce the chances of you reaching the identification stage. Simple mistakes in citing or and research can be corrected before submission, allowing students to build their academic writing skills with integrity.
 
Other ways to identify potential fabrication include the following:

• citations which draw from abstracts rather than full articles
• citations which draw from online book previews/excerpts
• citations which do not match references
• research topics which have been illogically broadened
• references to material written in languages unknown to student
• references to sources which are out of print
• contents of assignment do not match instructions