Maintaining Academic Integrity by Avoiding Plagiarism

For nurse practitioners and scholars, having the proper skill set to propose safety and
quality changes in healthcare successfully is a prerequisite. This requires meaningfully
performing scientific inquiry, generating and applying evidence in decision-making, and sharing
findings with other professionals. Integrity in collecting and sharing this evidence is the basis for
supporting propositions to practice change. According to Carter et al. (2019), avoiding
plagiarism is the hallmark of nursing research, considering plagiarism is one of the main ethical
concerns for researchers, scholars, and practitioners in the nursing field. Ideally, plagiarism is
regarded as academic dishonesty and intellectual theft because it involves copying others’ work,
ideas, and words without properly acknowledging them.
As a nurse practitioner-scholar, there are multiple ways to avoid plagiarism. The first and
most apparent is citing all sources scrupulously. Acknowledging all sources of information –
phrases, ideas, words, and work – used indirectly and directly in my writing is the number one
therapy for plagiarism. This includes appropriately quoting all phrases or words lifted straight
from other sources (Walden University Writing Center, n.d). The second strategy is learning to
cite appropriately and reference sources using APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, and other standard
referencing styles. Another way to avoid plagiarism is to understand good paraphrasing
techniques. Good paraphrasing involves deeply understanding the original content/source and
genuinely using “own” phrases or words to summarize concepts (UCLA, n.d.). I can also use
plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin and Grammarly to ensure all content is 100% original.
Most importantly, paraphrasing and synthesizing professional literature can strengthen
my future nurse scholar-practitioner practice. These can assist me in engaging in critical analysis,
knowledge integration, effective communication, continuous learning, evidence-based practice

3
(EBP), and professional growth. Paraphrasis entails reading, understanding, interpreting, and
restating content using “own” words and phrases. It can broaden my knowledge of complex
medical theories, concepts, and processes and the ability to analyze and apply them in real life
critically. By mixing and restating source texts with my words/phrases, paraphrasing can allow
me to integrate and mediate my own and others’ voices (Shi et al., 2018). The two strategies can
also assist in maintaining ethics in research and building credibility. Proper paraphrasing and
evidence synthesis can prove my commitment to research ethics and academic honesty/integrity.
This can help in affirming my professional credibility.

4

References

Carter, H., Hussey, J., & Forehand, J. W. (2019). Plagiarism in nursing education and the ethical
implications in practice. Heliyon, 5(3). doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01350
Shi, L., Fazel, I., & Kowkabi, N. (2018). Paraphrasing to transform knowledge in advanced
graduate student writing. English for Specific Purposes, 51, 31-44.
UCLA. (n.d.). Nursing. https://guides.library.ucla.edu/c.php?g=180208&p=1636725
Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Plagiarism prevention resource kit.
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/plagiarism