Academic Integrity and Graduate Study Expectations

Article Discussion Project--OVERVIEW

Project Goal:
The purpose of this final project is for you to successfully demonstrate your ability to perform several
learning outcomes of this course while sharing new knowledge with your classmates on the topics we
have studied. The student learning outcomes this project will give you a chance to demonstrate are:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Use USC library resources to search for academic journal articles and books.
2. Evaluate sources of information for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and
purpose.
3. Evaluate the quality of paraphrases and write their own paraphrases of ideas presented in
the context of short passages and longer articles.

Project Task:
This is an article discussion project where you will find two articles using your library research skills to
prepare for your participation in a small group academic discussion. You will choose a topic to research
for the discussion that is related to academic integrity or skills for graduate student success. You will
prepare for the discussion by finding two articles, evaluating these articles and paraphrasing main ideas to
share from these articles. Your work will be documented and assessed using two components:

 Article Discussion Project Plan (20% of final grade) – A written plan that you submit to
document your work on each part of the project. You must attach copies (digital links) of the two
articles you use.
 Article Discussion and Reflection (10% of final grade) – This is a group discussion in which
you share the results from your article research with other classmates. You will use your project
plan as a discussion tool. The discussion will be live on an assigned day (no make-ups are
possible if you miss it the scheduled discussion day.) After the discussion, your group will
submit a Discussion and Reflection handout for evaluation.
Project Steps:
1. Choose a topic. You will choose a topic to research that will expand your knowledge on the
topics we have discussed. You may pick any of the topics below or propose your own, as long as
it is directly connected to the subjects we have talked about in class. Your instructor MUST
approve your topic BEFORE you conduct any library searching. If, after searching, you change
your topic, you must notify your instructor. Your topic must be decided/set at least one week
prior to the academic discussions. Plan your schedule efficiently to allow for enough time to
research and find a good topic. You will not be allowed to change your topic at the last minute.
Possible topics related to our course (but not limited to these choices):

-Plagiarism in Graduate School -Academic Integrity for Graduate Students

-Graduate Student Cheating -Graduate Study Issue: Time Management
-Graduate Study Issue: Avoiding Stress -Graduate Student Success
-Student Behavior in the Classroom -Teamwork Skills in Graduate Classes
-Consequences for Academic Integrity Violations
Academic Integrity and Graduate Study Expectations

2. Find library sources. Use the library and online journal access to find TWO articles on
your topic.

a. Journal article: One article MUST be from a published peer-reviewed journal.

b. Other source: The other source may be an article found online (e.g. online news article,
magazine or professional publication) but it should be acceptable to use in a college
paper. Most students find a source from a university success center (ends with “.edu”)

3. Read and annotate your TWO articles. Take notes to identify the main points from the
author(s). For both articles, write paraphrases of key ideas as follows:

a. Write a paraphrase that communicates the main idea or gist of the topic of the
article and its findings. Use your own words. This paraphrase will demonstrate your
ability to communicate the idea of a whole or extended text.

b. Select a short passage that contains an idea that you think is useful or important
from the article. Write a paraphrase of the idea(s) in that passage. Use your own
words. This paraphrase will demonstrate your ability to communicate a specific idea of
an author.

4. Complete the Article Discussion Project Plan handout. This is where you will demonstrate
your ability to perform the student learning outcomes. The project discussion handout will be due
BEFORE the discussions take place.

5. Participate in a small group academic discussion on an assigned day. Use your Article
Discussion Project Plan as notes to share paraphrased ideas from your articles with your group.
Work with a group to complete a Discussion Reflection handout after completing your
discussion.